Long-duration blackout
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Plan around water, essential medical power, safe temperature, food and communications rather than a restoration estimate. Reserve battery power for necessities and use shelf-stable food when refrigeration fails. Keep all generators outdoors at least 20 feet from openings. Move early if essential care or safe shelter cannot be maintained.
Save the essentials.
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Act on immediate danger. Seek qualified help when reachable and safe, but do not make your first protective step depend on a response. This page is general guidance, not a live alert.
Do now.
- 01
List critical needs
Identify power-dependent care, temperature-sensitive medicines, water access and who cannot manage stairs or heat. Set priorities before using scarce batteries or fuel.
- 02
Measure what remains
Write down safe water, ready-to-eat meals, usable batteries and medicine quantities. Review the inventory daily rather than guessing.
- 03
Keep fuel use safe
Never run generators, charcoal or camping stoves indoors, in a garage or on an enclosed balcony. Do not backfeed house wiring.
- 04
Protect food and hygiene
Keep cold appliances closed and use food-safety time and temperature guidance. Separate drinking water from washing and waste arrangements.
- 05
Set a relocation trigger
Choose the point when medical support, water or temperature can no longer be maintained. Confirm a reachable destination before those needs become urgent.
PLAN AROUND WHAT YOU HAVE
If help is unavailable.
Build a daily plan from current supplies and reachable shelter options. Do not wait for a food distribution, public generator or rescue transport that has not been confirmed.
People & practical needs.
Assign a trusted adult to each person who needs assistance. Keep medicines, essential contacts and a workable reunion plan with the group. Make decisions around the least mobile person, not the fastest; avoid splitting the family without a clear, safe way to reconnect.
Keep essentials within reach
Keep essential medicines, safe drinking water, a battery light, footwear, phone power and written contacts accessible. Carry only what you can manage; collecting supplies must not delay escape.
Next steps.
Share safe tasks and checked information with trusted neighbours. Charge essential devices when safe power is available and use brief scheduled check-ins. Do not rely on an internet-only plan.
Watch for.
An announced restoration time is an estimate. Carbon monoxide, unsafe improvised wiring, dehydration and dangerous temperatures can be more urgent than the outage itself.
Sources & context.
Osprey Zero combines source-based protective guidance with practical household planning. References provide context, not a promise of assistance. Some standards are U.S.-based; local risks, laws and services differ.
Updated 2026-10-02. Editorially reviewed against linked references; not independently certified by a subject-matter expert. Verify changing conditions through sources safe for you to contact.