Home / The guide / Blackout continuity

Plan the recovery: when services come back

An outage does not end when the lights come on. A short recovery routine stops spoiled food, weakened medicines and power surges from causing harm afterwards.

How

1. Before power returns, unplug sensitive appliances and electronics or confirm they have surge protection, as Ready.gov advises.
2. Throw out refrigerated food that has been at 4 C (40 F) or above for more than 4 hours, or that smells, looks or feels wrong (Ready.gov).
3. Replace refrigerated medicines if the power was out for a day or more, unless the label says otherwise. Call a doctor or pharmacist, and use them only until a new supply arrives.
4. Reconnect loads a few at a time, and switch from generator back to normal supply by the installer's procedure (continuity-24).
5. Follow any water advisory from your supplier before drinking mains water again (water module).
6. Restock the fuel, water, food and batteries you used, and recharge every battery.
7. Hold a short debrief: what worked, what failed, what ran out. Update the dependency table (continuity-1) and the autonomy target (continuity-2).

Safety: Keep any generator outdoors, at least 6 m (20 ft) from doors, windows and vents, until it is shut down (Ready.gov).

Do these first

• continuity-24

Sources

1. Power outage safety tips (Ready.gov, hosted by Cal Poly Pomona Emergency Management). FEMA / Ready.gov, accessed 2026-11

Open in the interactive guide