It's happened here. The December 2007 ice storm cut power to more than 641,000 Oklahoma customers, and 150,000 were still in the dark a week later. Here's what weeks without power really look like, and what your family needs to get through them.
Source: National Weather Service, Norman
Not a movie. This is what real long outages did to real towns, step by step, with the source for every number.
The fridge, the furnace blower, the Wi-Fi, the well pump and the garage door all run on the same wire. FEMA's own outage sheet warns that a long outage can close stores, gas stations, ATMs and banks, and disrupt communications, water and transportation "for a long time."
Cell service can go down with the grid, and there's nothing to recharge from. A closed fridge keeps food cold for about 4 hours. After that, what's in it starts to turn.
Stores that can't run registers or coolers close, and the ones still open sell out. Water plants and pumps need power too, so pressure drops and boil-water notices go out. A full freezer holds about 48 hours with the door shut.
Card readers, ATMs and gas pumps need power and a network. Pharmacies without power can't fill prescriptions; in Houston in 2021, e-prescriptions bounced because the pharmacy was closed.
Hypothermia doesn't need a blizzard. The CDC says it can set in above 40°F, and older adults in poorly heated homes and babies in cold bedrooms are most at risk. People get desperate for heat and run generators, grills and gas ovens indoors. Carbon monoxide has no smell.
Water, food, heat and medicine have to come from what you stored or what you can make work. Help comes, but it comes slowly, and it doesn't reach everyone at once.
You don't plan for the average outage. You plan for the long one.
Nine things keep a family going without the grid. Here's what each one takes at three days, at two weeks and past a month, and what we sell for it today. Where we don't sell it yet, we say so.
From usGo-Bag: 12 sealed pouches (1.5 L) and 2 filter straws, a carry-along backup. Bulk water storage: coming soon
From usDatrex 3,600-calorie rations (2 in the Go-Bag). Longer-term food: coming soon
From usEmergency blankets, 4 in each kit. Safe-heat gear: coming soon
From usUSB-C headlamps: 1 in the Go-Bag, 2 in the Blackout bundle.
From usThe hand-crank solar radio charges a phone over USB. Bigger power: coming soon
From usThe hand-crank solar weather radio, in the Go-Bag and the Blackout bundle.
From usSanitation kit: coming soon
From usFirst-aid basics in the Go-Bag's gear pouch. A full first-aid kit: coming soon
From usDocument dry bags: 2 in the Go-Bag, or as an add-on.
Every plan starts with the first three days: at home, on the move and in the car. Each bundle costs less than its parts, and the savings are the plain sum of our own single-item prices.
Nothing here is for sale yet. Tap "Notify me" and we'll email you the day it ships. No pre-orders.
Two weeks of stored water, food that doesn't need power, safe heat, sanitation, and a way to keep phones and lights charged.
Refilling and treating water, long-shelf-life food, bigger power and the tools to run a house without the grid.
We're sourcing and testing this gear now. We won't list anything we haven't had in hand and checked, and we won't take pre-orders.
Three questions. We'll recommend one bundle and only the add-ons that fill a real gap.
Your recommendation shows up here, with every item and the total before you add anything.
The pieces every kit is built around. Each one can add a small extra at the same price it sells for alone.
Small things that fill gaps. They ship with any kit, the weather radio or the filter straws, because on their own the postage costs more than they do.
We'll be blunt about what a long outage does. We won't make anything up to sell you a kit.
Start with the free printable 72-Hour Kit Checklist + Winter Outage Plan. Most of what's on it is already in your house. We'll also email you when new kits ship.
Reviews from verified orders.
Not yet. We don't take orders or pre-orders until the gear is in hand, checked and ready to ship. Tap any "Notify me" button and we'll email you the day it is. Nothing is charged and nothing is reserved.
Longer than you think. FEMA's basic kit covers at least 72 hours, and FEMA and the Red Cross say to store at least a two-week supply of water. Real outages have run four days (Texas, 2021), more than a week (Oklahoma, 2007) and nearly 11 months (Puerto Rico, 2017). The sources are listed at the bottom of this page.
No, and we won't pretend it is. The 12 sealed pouches hold 1.5 liters, and the two filter straws need a fresh water source. The usual guideline is about 1 gallon per person per day, so keep stored water at home and treat the bag as what you carry if you have to leave.
It has a weather band for tuning in to NOAA Weather Radio forecasts and warnings. We're testing a production sample on all seven weather channels before we say more than that, and we don't advertise automatic alert tones for this model. Keep your phone's emergency alerts turned on too.
Yes, through its USB port, from the built-in battery. Solar and the hand crank refill that battery. Treat cranking as a top-up for a call or a text, not a full phone charge.
It's a hollow-fiber membrane filter for drinking from fresh water sources like lakes and streams, used as directed. It doesn't remove viruses, chemicals or salt. When in doubt, boil or treat the water, and keep stored water as your first plan.
Five years from the date of manufacture, per the manufacturer. The date is printed on each pack. The food bars contain wheat.
Postage on a single blanket pack or fire starter costs more than the item. Rather than raise prices for everyone, add-ons ship with any kit, the weather radio or the filter straws.
Yes. The survival gear pouch includes a multi-tool with a small blade, scissors and pliers. If you're keeping the bag at a school or workplace, check the rules there.
Free standard shipping on orders of $99 or more (before tax). Orders under $99 ship for a flat $6.95. We ship within the US (lower 48 states) and don't ship to PO boxes yet. You'll get a tracking number by email once it ships.
Return unused gear within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Food rations and water pouches can be returned only if they're still sealed. Email us with your order number and we'll send return instructions.
If anything arrives damaged or doesn't work, tell us within 30 days and we'll replace it at no cost.
To fill your order we collect your name, email, phone and shipping address. Payments are handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card number. If you sign up for the checklist we keep your email to send prep tips, and you can unsubscribe anytime. We don't sell your information.
Prices are in US dollars. The weather radio and headlamp contain lithium-ion batteries: charge them as directed and keep them away from heat. Food rations contain wheat. The filter straw is for fresh water sources only. Our kits are a starting point, not a replacement for instructions from local officials during an emergency.
Every outage figure on this page, and where it came from. Checked November 2026.