This is not the page for planning ahead. This is the page for right now, lights out, a child already crying, and you needing to know what to do first.
The official sheet covering food safety, generator safety and the practical side of an extended outage.
Download the PDF ↓Check the current version on Ready.gov →A U.S. government work, free of copyright. We host a copy so you can have it immediately, and link the live version too, because an emergency document that has been updated matters more than a convenient copy. We are not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, FEMA, DHS or any government agency.
Talking into total darkness does not land the way talking with even a dim light does — a scared child needs to see your face before your voice reassures them. Light first, however small, then the sentence.
"The power is out. I do not know when it will come back, and that is okay. We are going to be fine right here." Do not guess at a timeline to sound reassuring — a wrong guess costs more trust than an honest unknown does.
Holding the flashlight. Helping find the candles. Counting the batteries. A scared child with a task is regulating; a scared child sitting still with nothing to do is only getting more scared.
A short, calm call is fine and can even help - hearing you sound normal on the phone tells them more than anything you say directly to them.
Naming it plainly and small works better than hiding it badly. "I do not love this either, and we are going to be okay" is more settling than a forced calm a child can see through.
Part of our guide to Talking to kids about emergencies.