Southern California
The shutoff notice just came. Now what?
A Public Safety Power Shutoff gives you a day or two of warning. Here is what to do with it.
One page. Read it here, save the image to your phone, or print it for the fridge.
In fire weather, Southern California utilities turn off power on purpose to keep lines from starting fires. You usually get a notice a day or two ahead, and the outage can last several days. This is the checklist for the hours between the notice and the lights going out.
- 1
Charge everything
- Phones, power banks, laptops, the power station
- Rechargeable lanterns and flashlights
- The car, if it is electric
- 2
Freeze water bottles
- Fill the freezer gaps with bottles
- A full freezer stays cold two days
- They become drinking water as they melt
- 3
Fill the water
- Pitchers, jugs, the bathtub
- Pumped systems and some wells stop with the power
- One gallon per person per day
- 4
Medical devices
- Oxygen, CPAP, refrigerated medication
- Call the utility's medical baseline line now
- Know where you will go if the backup runs out
- 5
Gas up the car
- Pumps need power
- A full tank is also a phone charger
- Cash for the station that is open
- 6
Get cash
- ATMs and registers go down
- Small bills for a few days
- Some stores stay open cash only
- 7
Set up the lights
- A lantern in each room you use
- Headlamps by the beds
- Candles stay in the drawer
- 8
Cook ahead
- Cook what will spoil, eat it first
- Prep two days of no-cook meals
- Ice in coolers before it is gone
- 9
Garage door and gates
- Learn the manual release now
- Electric gates too
- Park outside if you will need the car
- 10
Unplug the big stuff
- Computers, TVs, the AC
- Power returning can surge
- One lamp left on to tell you it is back
- 11
Check on neighbors
- Anyone older, alone, or on medical equipment
- Share the notice, they may not have seen it
- Offer a cooler spot or a ride
- 12
Sign up for the alerts
- Utility alerts by text, for your address
- County emergency alerts
- A battery radio for when the towers go
A planned outage is the easy kind. Use the warning.
Get the free 72-Hour Readiness Plan
More guides
Kit guide
The 72-hour family kit, item by item.
Everything a household needs for three days with no help, and nothing it does not.
Open the guide
Home guide
A week without power.
How a normal household eats, stays clean, keeps cool or warm, and sleeps when the grid is gone for days.
Open the guide
Gear Lab guide
Backup power, ranked by what actually works.
Twelve ways to keep phones, lights and a fridge going, from best to barely.
Open the guide