Every winter, snowstorms and ice storms leave millions of American homes without power, sometimes for days. Ice is especially damaging: a thin coating can bring down tree branches and power lines across an entire region. The best time to prepare is before the first storm warning, when stores are calm and shelves are full.

Build a three-day supply

Federal emergency guidance recommends being ready to look after yourself for at least three days. A basic winter kit includes:

  • Water: about one gallon per person per day.
  • Food that doesn’t need cooking or refrigeration, such as canned goods, peanut butter, cereal and granola bars, plus a manual can opener.
  • Flashlights and extra batteries. Avoid candles, which cause many home fires during outages.
  • A battery-powered or hand-crank radio to get updates when phones and internet are down.
  • Power banks for phones, charged ahead of time.
  • Prescription medicines, glasses and any medical supplies, with enough for several days.
  • Warm blankets, hats, gloves and layers for everyone in the house, including pets.

Protect your home

  • Know where your water shutoff valve is. If pipes freeze and burst, you will need to turn the water off quickly.
  • Insulate exposed pipes in basements, crawl spaces and garages. During extreme cold, letting faucets drip slightly can help prevent freezing.
  • Clear gutters and trim branches that hang over the roof or power lines, if you can do so safely.
  • Have your furnace and chimney checked before heavy use.

The generator rule that saves lives

Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the deadliest dangers after winter storms, and it happens when people try to stay warm or keep the lights on.

  • Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, basement or crawl space, even with doors open. The CDC advises keeping generators at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents.
  • Never use a gas oven or stove to heat your home, and never use a grill or camp stove indoors.
  • Install battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home and near bedrooms.
  • If an alarm sounds, or anyone feels dizzy, nauseous or confused, get outside to fresh air immediately and call 911.

Space heaters need care too: keep them at least three feet from anything that can burn, plug them directly into a wall outlet rather than an extension cord, and turn them off when you leave the room or go to sleep.

How long food stays safe

Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. According to federal food safety guidance:

  • A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for about four hours.
  • A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, a half-full freezer for about 24 hours.

After four hours without power, throw out perishable foods such as meat, dairy, eggs and leftovers that have been above 40°F for more than two hours. An inexpensive appliance thermometer takes the guesswork out of it. When in doubt, throw it out.

Prepare your car

Many winter deaths happen in vehicles. Before the season starts:

  • Keep the gas tank at least half full, so the fuel line is less likely to freeze and you can run the engine for heat if you are stranded.
  • Pack a kit with a blanket, warm clothes, an ice scraper, a small shovel, jumper cables, a flashlight, water, snacks and a phone charger.
  • If you get stuck, stay with the car, run the engine for only about 10 minutes each hour for heat, and keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow to prevent carbon monoxide from building up inside.

Check on others

Older neighbors, people with disabilities and anyone who relies on powered medical equipment are most at risk during long outages. Before a storm, make a plan to check on them, and if someone in your home depends on electricity for medical care, register with your utility, which may prioritize restoring their power.

What we think

Most winter storm injuries are preventable, and the most dangerous mistakes happen indoors, after the snow stops: generators in garages, ovens used as heaters and candles left burning. A battery-powered carbon monoxide alarm costs less than a tank of gas and is the single most important item on this list.

Spend an hour this month putting the kit together. When the next storm warning comes, you will be able to stay home calmly while everyone else is lining up at the store.