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7-Day Power Outage Plan

GridReady Guide editorial team · Updated September 2026

A week-long plan needs more deliberate water, food, sanitation, charging, temperature and communication strategies.

Prioritize dependencies

Identify anything that depends on electricity, fuel deliveries, refrigeration, internet access or powered medical equipment.

Build redundancy

Use more than one way to receive information, light rooms and charge essential devices where practical.

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Updated: September 26, 2026

Seven-day planning is different from a 72-hour kit. By days four through seven, the challenge is sustainable use of water, food, energy, fuel, sanitation and information rather than simply having more gadgets.

Diagram showing energy, food and water, information and sanitation priorities for a seven-day outage

Scale resources, not clutter

Start with daily consumption. How much drinking/cooking water does the household require? Which meals can be prepared without refrigeration? Which devices need charging, how often, and from what source? What fuel can be stored and used safely? A written consumption estimate is more useful than an oversized generic shopping list.

Use an energy budget

Reserve stored electricity for loads with high consequence and low consumption: communications, lighting, certain medical equipment and small electronics. High-wattage resistance heating and cooking can empty batteries quickly. Where combustion equipment is used, follow outdoor-use and carbon-monoxide safety requirements.

Build two communication layers

Use ordinary cellular/internet services while available, but keep a second way to receive information such as a battery radio. Agree on an out-of-area family contact and a physical meeting point in case local networks are unreliable.