Can you use candles safely?

Official guidance recommends torches instead, because candles are a significant fire risk during outages when households are already operating in unfamiliar darkness. If you do use them, keep them away from anything flammable and never leave them unattended or burning overnight.

How far from the house should a generator be?

Well outside and away from windows, doors and vents, following the manufacturer's stated minimum distance. Carbon monoxide accumulates and drifts, so a generator just outside an open window is effectively indoors. Never operate one in a garage even with the door open.

Should you open the fridge to check food?

No, checking is exactly what shortens the safe window. Use an appliance thermometer that you can read quickly if you must open it, and otherwise keep it closed. Assess food once power returns rather than repeatedly during the outage.

How do you keep phones charged?

A charged power bank is the practical answer and belongs in every kit. Car chargers work if you have a vehicle, though running an engine in an enclosed garage carries the same carbon monoxide risk as a generator. Reduce phone use to preserve what charge you have.

Outlast Blog

What Should You Do in a Power Outage?

Updated July 8, 2026 · 6 min read · The Outlast Team

TL;DR. Keep the fridge and freezer closed, since an unopened fridge holds safe temperature for about four hours and a full freezer for about 48. Never run a generator or grill indoors or in a garage. Unplug sensitive electronics to protect them from the surge when power returns.

Outages are the disruption households actually experience, far more often than earthquakes or floods. The decisions that matter are made in the first hour, and most of them concern food safety and carbon monoxide, which between them account for the majority of avoidable harm.

How long does refrigerated food stay safe?

A refrigerator holds a safe temperature for roughly four hours if the door stays closed. A full freezer holds for about 48 hours, and a half-full freezer for about 24. Every door opening shortens those windows significantly.

The discipline that follows is simple and difficult: decide what you need before opening, take it all at once, and close the door. Households that graze from an unpowered fridge through an evening lose the entire contents rather than the few items they took.

What is the carbon monoxide risk?

Generators, camping stoves, charcoal grills and gas heaters produce carbon monoxide, which is odourless and lethal. None should ever be operated inside a home, basement, garage or enclosed porch, including with doors and windows open. Generators belong well away from the building and its openings.

This is where most outage deaths come from. The pattern is consistent enough that guidance is unusually absolute: no combustion device indoors, no exceptions for briefly, no exceptions for ventilated. A working battery carbon monoxide alarm is worth having regardless.

Outlast app showing an offline power outage checklist covering food safety and generator use — Outage guidance is most needed when the phone has no signal and the lights are off.

What should you do first?

Check whether the outage is yours alone by looking at neighbours or your breaker panel, then report it to the utility. Turn off or unplug appliances and electronics that were on, keeping one lamp switched on so you know when supply returns. Use torches rather than candles.

Unplugging matters because power returning can arrive with a surge that damages electronics left connected. Leaving one light on is the small trick that tells you supply is back without needing to check anything else.

Want the checklist to work when the power and the signal are both out? Outlast stores it all offline.

When should you throw food away?

Discard perishable food held above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours. Frozen food that still contains ice crystals and feels refrigerator-cold can be refrozen. When in doubt, throw it out; appearance and smell are unreliable indicators of bacterial growth.

An appliance thermometer left in the fridge and freezer removes the guesswork entirely, telling you the actual temperature reached rather than requiring you to estimate from how long the power was off.

Key takeaways

An unopened fridge holds safe temperature about four hours; a full freezer about 48.
Never run generators, grills or camping stoves indoors or in a garage.
Unplug electronics to protect them from the surge when supply returns.
Leave one lamp switched on so you know when power comes back.
Discard perishables held above 40°F for over two hours; refreeze only if ice crystals remain.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use candles safely?: Official guidance recommends torches instead, because candles are a significant fire risk during outages when households are already operating in unfamiliar darkness. If you do use them, keep them away from anything flammable and never leave them unattended or burning overnight.
How far from the house should a generator be?: Well outside and away from windows, doors and vents, following the manufacturer’s stated minimum distance. Carbon monoxide accumulates and drifts, so a generator just outside an open window is effectively indoors. Never operate one in a garage even with the door open.
Should you open the fridge to check food?: No, checking is exactly what shortens the safe window. Use an appliance thermometer that you can read quickly if you must open it, and otherwise keep it closed. Assess food once power returns rather than repeatedly during the outage.
How do you keep phones charged?: A charged power bank is the practical answer and belongs in every kit. Car chargers work if you have a vehicle, though running an engine in an enclosed garage carries the same carbon monoxide risk as a generator. Reduce phone use to preserve what charge you have.

The Outlast Team
Household Emergency Preparedness, BigBalli. We follow Ready.gov, FEMA, CDC and Red Cross guidance and keep it usable offline. General preparedness information, not emergency advice for a live incident.