What to do before, during and after a hurricane or tropical storm knocks out power for days: water, food, evacuation, flooding and generator safety.
- Evacuate when told to. Supplies do not matter in a flood zone.
- Plan 3 or more days of water and no-cook food.
- Generators and grills outdoors only. Never walk or drive through flood water.
Know your risk and your zone
Hurricanes bring wind, storm surge and flooding, and outages can last days or longer. In the US, check your evacuation zone with your local emergency management office. In Atlantic Canada, follow Environment and Climate Change Canada and your provincial emergency alerts. If you are told to evacuate, go. A stocked house does not matter if the area is flooded.
Before the storm
- 3 days of water, ideally more (1 gallon or about 4 litres per person per day)
- No-cook food and a manual can opener
- Battery or hand-crank radio
- Phones and power banks charged
- Fill the bathtub for flushing water
- Bring in loose outdoor items
- Know where the main breaker and water shut-off are
- Move valuables and papers up, in waterproof bags
- Two weeks of medications if possible
- Plan for pets
- Agree a meeting place and a contact outside the area
During the outage
- Stay indoors, away from windows, until officials say it is safe.
- Keep fridge and freezer doors closed. See keep or toss rules.
- Run generators and grills outdoors only, far from windows and doors. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a leading danger after storms.
- Do not walk or drive through flood water. It can hide hazards and can be contaminated.
- Stay away from downed power lines and anything touching them. Call 911.
After the storm
- Use stored or bottled water until local authorities say tap water is safe. Follow any boil-water advisory.
- Throw out perishable food that has been above 4 degrees C (40 degrees F) for 2 hours or more.
- Report outages and damage to your utility and check on neighbours, especially older adults.
Use the outage planner to size water, food and battery for your household.
Quick answers
How long do hurricane outages last?
It varies a lot. Some are hours, others last days or longer when damage is widespread. Plan for at least 3 days.
Is it safe to use a generator?
Only outdoors, far from windows, doors and vents, with a battery-backed carbon monoxide alarm inside.