Safety & Security · Grid-Down Guide

The real dangers in an outage

Most deaths in power outages aren't from the cold or from crime. They come from carbon monoxide, house fires, falls and car crashes. Fix those, and you've handled most of the risk.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is invisible and has no smell. It comes from anything that burns fuel: generators, cars, grills, stoves, heaters, furnaces and fireplaces.

CO alarm on every level and outside each sleeping area, with battery backup. Test monthly; replace the alarm every 5–7 years.
Generators outdoors only, 20+ feet from the house.
Never run a car in a garage, even with the door open. Clear snow from the tailpipe before running a car.
Never use a grill, camp stove or patio heater indoors.

If a CO alarm sounds or anyone feels sick, dizzy or confused: get everyone outside to fresh air immediately, and call 911 from outside. Don't go back in until responders say it's safe.

Fire

House fires spike during outages because of candles, heaters and generators.

Working smoke alarms on every level and in every bedroom (test monthly).
A fire extinguisher (ABC type) in the kitchen, garage and near any wood stove — and everyone knows how to use it: P.A.S.S. (Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze, Sweep).
Keep space heaters and stoves 3 feet from anything that can burn.
Flashlights instead of candles.
Two ways out of every room. Practice a fire drill.
If you heat with wood, store ashes in a metal can with a lid, outside, away from the house. Ashes stay hot for days.

Know your shutoffs

Learn these before an emergency, and teach every adult and teen in the house:

Utility	Where	When to shut it off
Electric main breaker	main panel (big breaker at top)	flooding, electrical fire, sparks, before major repairs
Water main	where the line enters the house, or at the meter	burst pipes, before draining pipes in a freeze
Natural gas	at the gas meter (quarter turn with a wrench)	only if you smell gas or hear a hiss — leave the house first. Only the gas company should turn it back on.
Propane	valve on top of the tank	leaks, or before evacuating

Keep a wrench zip-tied next to the gas meter.

Protecting your home and neighborhood

Long outages bring most people together. Neighbors share generators, check on each other, and organize. A few common-sense steps keep you safe:

Lock up. Doors and windows locked, especially at night, and garage doors manually locked (power outages disable openers, but many can be opened by hand from outside with the emergency release).
Know how to open the garage manually — pull the red emergency cord.
Light the outside with solar motion lights. They need no grid power.
Secure the generator with a chain and lock, and bring fuel cans in at night.
Keep a low profile. Don't advertise stockpiles on social media.
Get to know your neighbors now. A neighborhood that already knows each other is the best security there is. Share skills: who has a generator, chainsaw, medical training, a well?

Driving during and after a storm

Treat dark traffic signals as four-way stops.
Never drive through flooded roads — 6 inches of moving water can knock you down; a foot can float a car.
Watch for downed lines and trees. Don't drive over wires.
Keep your gas tank at least half full at all times. Gas stations can't pump without power.

Sources: CDC — Carbon Monoxide Poisoning · NFPA — Heating safety · Ready.gov — Power Outages · FEMA — Are You Ready? (utility shutoff)