What to Do When the Power Goes Out in an Apartment

Key Takeaways

• Keep the fridge and freezer closed. Food stays safe for 4 hours in the fridge, 48 hours in a full freezer and 24 hours in a half-full one.
• Use flashlights and headlamps for light, and unplug electronics so the surge when power returns does no damage.
• Generators, grills and camp stoves stay outdoors. A battery power station is the generator that works inside an apartment.

When the power goes out, do these five things first, in an apartment or a house:

1. Get a light. Grab a flashlight or headlamp.
2. Find out how big the outage is. If the neighbors still have lights, call your building manager. If the whole block is dark, report it to your utility and check its outage map.
3. Keep the fridge and freezer closed. The fridge keeps food safe for 4 hours. A full freezer holds for 48 hours and a half-full one for 24.
4. Unplug appliances and electronics. Power can come back with a surge. Leave one lamp switched on so you see the moment it returns.
5. Keep anything that burns fuel outside. Generators, grills and camp stoves give off carbon monoxide. Ready.gov says to run them only outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows.

The rest of this guide walks through an apartment outage hour by hour, from the first 30 minutes to day three.

The First 30 Minutes

Light the room you are in

A headlamp keeps both hands free for stairs, cans and pot handles. Keep it in the same spot every day, such as a nightstand drawer or a hook by the door, so you can find it in the dark. Save your phone’s flashlight for backup; its battery has bigger jobs today.

Find out how big the outage is

Look out the window and into the hallway.

• Only your unit is dark: call your building manager or landlord. They can check your unit’s breaker panel and the building’s service.
• The building or the block is dark: report the outage to your utility and check its outage map for a restoration estimate. Save the utility’s outage number in your phone today so it is there when you need it.

Do a quick safety sweep

• Turn off the stove and oven if they were on. Gas burners still light by hand during an outage; our indoor emergency cooking guide shows how.
• Unplug the TV, computer, microwave and anything with a motor.
• Check that your unit door and the building entry open from both sides.
• In a high-rise, the elevators stop. Plan trips down the stairs, and read our high-rise evacuation plan if you live on an upper floor.

Set your phone up for a long day

Turn on low power mode and dim the screen. Below 30%, plug into a power bank. Send texts rather than calls; texts get through a busy network more easily.

Hours 1 to 4: Food, Water and Medicine

Eat from the pantry

Every time the fridge opens, cold air leaves. Eat food that needs no fridge and no stove:

• Peanut butter and crackers
• Canned tuna, chicken or beans, with a manual can opener
• Trail mix, granola bars and dried fruit
• Bread and shelf-stable spreads

Our power outage food safety checker counts down your fridge and freezer deadlines from the time the power went out, then shows which foods to keep, refreeze or throw out.

Fill water containers if your building pumps water

Many high-rises use electric pumps to lift water to upper floors. If you live up high and the tap still runs, fill the bathtub, pots and any water containers now. Tub water handles flushing and washing. Our apartment water storage guide covers drinking water you can store ahead of time.

Plan for refrigerated medicine

Ready.gov recommends asking your doctor or pharmacist how long each refrigerated medicine keeps at higher temperatures. Write the answer on the box so it is in your hand during an outage. If someone at home uses a powered medical device, a charged battery backup or a plan to reach a place with power comes first.

Hours 4 to 12: Set Up One Comfortable Room

Move perishables to a cooler at the 4-hour mark

The CDC’s rule: once the power has been out for 4 hours, move meat, milk, eggs and leftovers into a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs, and keep them at 40°F or below. Block ice or dry ice in the fridge keeps the rest cold during a long outage.

Make one room your base

Put an LED lantern on a table in the room where everyone gathers. Headlamps handle moving around, and a glow stick in the bathroom and hallway marks the way at night. The Red Cross puts it plainly: use flashlights, not candles.

Stay informed

A battery or hand-crank radio with the NOAA weather band brings updates while your phone rests. Check the utility outage map, send one text to your emergency contact, and put the phone back in low power mode. Our cell network outage guide covers ways to stay in touch when the towers are down.

Manage the temperature

In summer: when it is cooler outside than inside, open windows on opposite sides of the apartment for a cross-breeze. When it is hotter outside, keep the windows shut and the blinds closed. Drink water through the day, and head to a cooling center if the apartment stays hot.

In winter: close off rooms you are not using and gather in the smallest one. Layer clothing, wear a hat, and pile blankets on the bed. Our winter power outage warmth guide has more ways to hold heat.

Heat with clothing and blankets only. Ready.gov and the CDC both say never to heat your home with a gas stove or oven.

Hours 12 to 24: The Long Stretch

Sort the fridge food

After 4 hours without power or ice, the CDC says to throw out perishable fridge food: meat, fish, eggs, milk, cut fruits and vegetables, and leftovers. Hard cheeses, butter, uncut fruit, ketchup and mustard keep, per the FoodSafety.gov chart. Freezer food that still has ice crystals or reads 40°F or below can be refrozen or cooked. The food safety checker lists every item.

Put the phone first on the power bank

Charge the phone before tablets, speakers and laptops. Our power bank guide for apartment blackouts matches capacity to the devices you rely on.

Check on your neighbors

Knock on the doors of older neighbors, families with small children and anyone who lives alone. If your building has a group chat, post what you know about the outage and ask who needs help.

Set up a backup toilet

If the water stops on an upper floor and the drains still run, flush with stored water: pour a bucket of water quickly into the bowl. If a toilet or drain backs up, stop flushing and switch to a bag toilet.

The North Carolina health department’s steps for a bag toilet:

1. Turn off the toilet’s water valve and flush out the water left in the bowl.
2. Line the bowl, or a 5-gallon bucket, with a plastic bag inside a kitchen garbage bag.
3. Add kitty litter, peat moss or disinfectant to absorb liquid and hold down odor.
4. Tie off used bags and keep them in a garbage can with a lid, away from children and pets.

Wash your hands with soap and water, or use wet wipes and hand sanitizer when the taps are dry. Our emergency toilet guide compares ready-made options.

Days 2 and 3: Decide Whether to Stay or Go

The Red Cross says to leave if your home gets too hot or too cold, or if someone needs a medical device that runs on power. Communities often open warming and cooling centers and phone charging stations; check with local officials for the nearest one.

If you stay:

• Share coolers and ice with neighbors and cook thawing freezer food first.
• Ask building management when water pressure and the elevators will return.
• Stay at least 35 feet from any fallen power line and call 911 to report it.

Can You Use a Generator in an Apartment?

Gas, propane and dual-fuel generators run outdoors only. The CDC says to keep them more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents, and never to run one inside a home or garage, even with the windows open. A balcony sits right next to your windows and doors, so it does not meet that rule.

The generator that works inside an apartment is a battery power station, often sold as a “solar generator.” It burns no fuel and gives off no fumes. It runs a phone, lamp, router, CPAP machine or electric kettle, depending on its watt-hours and output rating. Charge it from the wall before storm season, and from solar panels during a long outage.

Power Outage Checklist

Screenshot this list so it is on your phone when the lights go out.

First 30 minutes

• Headlamp or flashlight in hand
• Only your unit dark? Call the building manager. Whole block? Report it to the utility
• Stove off; TV, computer and microwave unplugged; one lamp left on
• Phone on low power mode, plugged into a power bank below 30%
• Unit door and building entry checked

Hours 1 to 4

• Fridge and freezer closed; eat from the pantry
• Start the food safety countdown
• Upper floor: fill the tub and pots while the tap runs

Hours 4 to 12

• Perishables into a cooler with ice
• Lantern set up in one base room
• Radio on for updates; one text to your emergency contact
• Summer: windows open only while it is cooler outside. Winter: gather in one small room

Hours 12 to 24

• Fridge food sorted with the checker
• Phone first on the power bank
• Neighbors checked
• Bag toilet ready if the water stops or a drain backs up

Days 2 and 3

• Warming or cooling center if the apartment is too hot or too cold
• Coolers and ice shared with neighbors

What to Buy Before the Next Outage

These seven items fit in a shoebox and cover a one-day outage:

Item	Typical price	What it does
LED headlamp	$10–15	Hands-free light for stairs and cooking
20,000 mAh power bank	$18–25	Keeps your phone charged through the outage
Battery or hand-crank NOAA radio	$15–30	Updates when the phone network is busy
Battery-powered CO alarm	$20–30	Warns you of carbon monoxide (how to choose one)
Manual can opener	$1.25–6	Opens cans with no power
Fridge and freezer thermometers	$3–5 each	Tell you which food is still safe
Glow sticks	$1–3	Light the bathroom and hallway at night

Our Dollar Tree prepping list prices out the food and small supplies, and the apartment prepping guide covers the rest of a small-space kit.

Your Next Step

Tonight, put fresh batteries in a headlamp and hang it on your bedroom doorknob. Save your utility’s outage number in your phone, and bookmark the food safety checker. Those three steps cover the first 30 minutes of the next outage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you do first when the power goes out?

Get a flashlight or headlamp, check whether the outage is just your unit or the whole area, keep the fridge and freezer closed, and unplug appliances and electronics so the surge when power returns does no damage. Keep generators, grills and camp stoves outdoors.

How long does food last in the fridge when the power goes out?

Up to 4 hours with the door closed. A full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours and a half-full freezer for about 24. After 4 hours without power or ice, throw out perishable fridge food such as meat, fish, eggs, milk and leftovers.

Can you use a generator in an apartment?

Not a fuel-burning one. The CDC says to run gas generators outdoors more than 20 feet from windows, doors and vents, and never inside a home or garage. A battery power station works indoors because it burns no fuel.

Are candles safe during a power outage?

Flashlights, headlamps and LED lanterns are the safer choice, and the Red Cross recommends flashlights over candles. An LED lantern lights a whole room and a headlamp keeps your hands free.

When should you leave your apartment during a power outage?

Leave if the apartment gets too hot or too cold, or if someone needs a medical device that runs on power. Check with local officials for warming centers, cooling centers and charging stations near you.

Does water still work when the power goes out?

It depends on how water reaches your floor. Buildings fed straight from the city main keep running water as long as the city system has power. High-rises that use their own electric pumps to lift water to upper floors lose pressure there first, so fill the tub and pots while the tap still runs.