PlugInSolarMap.com
Take ActionNotify me
Home/Articles
🧰 Emergency preparedness

Power Outage Emergency Kit Checklist

Most emergency kit lists give you vague categories — “water,” “lighting” — without saying how much of anything you actually need. Here's a complete list with real quantities, organized by category, so you can check it off in one pass instead of guessing.

Updated July 2026·7 min read·Affiliate disclosure
💧

Water & food

  • Drinking water

    1 gallon per person, per day — 3-day minimum, 2 weeks if you can store it

  • Non-perishable food

    3-day supply that needs no cooking or refrigeration — canned goods, granola bars, peanut butter

  • Manual can opener

    Easy to forget once the power's already out

  • Cooler + ice packs

    Buys a fridge's worth of food a few extra hours once the power stays off

🔦

Lighting

  • Flashlight per person

    Plus spare batteries — headlamps free up your hands

  • Battery or crank lantern

    For shared spaces — safer than candles, no fire risk

  • Glow sticks

    A safe backup light source for kids' rooms

📻

Communication & information

  • Battery or hand-crank radio

    NOAA weather band if you're in a storm-prone area

  • Backup battery bank for your phone

    Cell towers often run on generator backup, so a charged phone can still get a signal

  • Paper list of emergency contacts

    Don't rely on a dead phone to remember numbers

🔋

Power & charging

  • Battery power station

    Keeps a router, fridge, CPAP, and devices running — the single highest-impact item on this list for anything longer than a few hours

  • Solar panel (if pairing with a power station)

    Recharges the battery without needing the grid back up or a car to run to a gas station

  • Charging cables for every device

    Stored with the power station, not scattered around the house

🩹

First aid & medical

  • Basic first aid kit

    Bandages, antiseptic, pain relievers, any allergy medication

  • 7-day supply of prescription medications

    Rotate stock so nothing expires unused

  • Backup power for medical devices

    CPAP, oxygen concentrators, and similar equipment — check the device's wattage against your power station's output

🛡️

Safety

  • Battery-powered CO and smoke detectors

    Plug-in-only detectors go dark exactly when you need them most

  • Fire extinguisher

    Especially important if anyone in the house uses candles or a gas stove during an outage

  • Whistle

    To signal for help without shouting yourself hoarse

📄

Documents & cash

  • Small amount of cash

    Card readers and ATMs don't work without power

  • Copies of ID, insurance, and medical info

    In a waterproof bag or folder, not just on your phone

Power is the item people get wrong most often

Flashlights and water are easy to remember. A dedicated power source usually isn't — most people only think about it mid-outage, when the fridge has already started warming up. A battery power station charged ahead of time (or topped off by a solar panel once the sun's out) covers a router, a CPAP overnight, phone and laptop charging, and a fridge or mini fridge for a stretch of the outage.

Kit essentials

Jackery Explorer 300 Plus (288Wh Battery)

0.288 kWh battery

Check price ($299) ↗
Most popular

Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 (1kWh Battery)

1.07 kWh battery

Check price ($449) ↗

See the full runtime charts and kit comparison for exactly how long each battery size covers a fridge, CPAP, or router.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much water do I actually need for a power outage?
The standard guidance is one gallon per person, per day — enough for drinking and basic hygiene. Three days is the minimum most emergency agencies recommend; if you have the storage space, two weeks gives you real margin for a major storm that knocks out water treatment along with the power.
What's the single most useful item on this list?
For most households, a battery power station gives you the most practical capability per dollar — it keeps a fridge from spoiling, a CPAP running overnight, a router online for information, and phones charged, all from one purchase with no fuel to manage. Water and food matter more for survival, but you likely already have some on hand; a dedicated power source usually doesn't exist in a house until you buy one.
Do I need a generator, or is a battery power station enough?
For the loads most people care about in an outage — lights, a router, phone and laptop charging, a fridge, medical devices — a battery power station covers it quietly and safely indoors. A gas generator makes more sense if you need to run high-draw tools or heat/cooling for days at a time; see our full comparison of home backup power options linked below.
How often should I check or rotate my emergency kit?
Twice a year is a reasonable cadence — check expiration dates on food and medication, replace batteries, and make sure your power station is still charged (most hold charge for months, but it's worth confirming). Many people tie the check to daylight saving time changes since it's an easy date to remember.
Should I keep my kit all in one place?
Yes — a single labeled bin or bag near an exit means you're not hunting through the house room by room once the power is already out and flashlights are hard to find. Keep the power station charged and stored with the rest of the kit rather than in a closet you rarely open.

Get restock and price-drop alerts

One email when a backup power kit drops in price — no spam.

Further reading