Power Outage Plan Skill
An extended outage is one of the most common and underestimated emergencies — and one
of the most dangerous for a specific group: anyone who depends on electricity for a
medical device (oxygen concentrator, CPAP, dialysis, refrigerated medication, powered
mobility). For them a blackout isn't an inconvenience, it's a medical emergency, and the
plan must center on it. For everyone, the hazards are quiet: food spoilage, carbon-
monoxide poisoning from improvised heat/generators, hypothermia or heatstroke, and being
cut off. This skill builds the plan before the lights go out, tiered by how long the
outage lasts, with the safety warnings that prevent the outage's secondary deaths.
What This Skill Produces
- A duration-tiered plan: what to do for a few hours vs overnight vs multi-day —
because the response and the risks escalate with time
- A medical-power priority plan (first, for anyone who needs it): battery backup, the
utility's medical/priority register, backup power options, and the threshold at which
you relocate to power/a hospital — worked out with clinicians and the utility in advance
- Food, heat/cool, and comms guidance: keeping food safe (and when to throw it out),
staying warm or cool safely, and keeping phones and information alive
- The safety warnings that save lives: carbon-monoxide (never run generators/grills/
camp stoves indoors), improvised-heat fire risk, and food-safety thresholds — the
secondary hazards that kill more than the outage itself
Required Inputs
Ask for (if not already provided):
- Anyone in the home dependent on power for a medical device or refrigerated medication —
this reshapes the whole plan
- The likely outage causes and durations for the area (storms, grid strain, wildfire
shutoffs — pair with [[hazard-risk-map]])
- The home: heating/cooling type (does it need electricity?), cooking, water (well pumps
fail without power), and vulnerable household members
- Existing backup (generator, battery, none) and budget/space for more
Framework
- Medical power first — it's the emergency inside the emergency. For any power-
dependent device or refrigerated medication: how long its battery lasts, backup power
(device batteries, a suitable power station — sized with the device specs), enrolling
on the utility's medical/priority-reconnection register, and the pre-decided threshold
to relocate to reliable power or a hospital. This is worked out with the clinician and
utility now, not improvised in the dark. The skill organizes it and routes the
medical specifics to them.
- Tier the plan by duration. Hours: fridge stays cold if unopened, use battery light,
sit tight. Overnight: heat/cool safely, meds and food managed, phones conserved.
Multi-day: food-safety decisions, water if pumps fail, warmth/cooling as the priority,
and the relocate-or-stay call. Each tier has different actions and different dangers.
- Warn hard about carbon monoxide and fire — the secondary killers. Generators, grills,
and camp stoves indoors or in attached garages kill via CO every outage; never run them
inside, and have a battery CO alarm. Improvised heating (ovens, unvented heaters) causes
fires and CO. These warnings are not optional garnish — they're the point.
- Keep food, warmth/cool, and comms. Food: keep fridge/freezer closed, know the safe-
duration thresholds and the "when in doubt throw it out" rule. Temperature: layer for
cold, hydrate and find cooling for heat, protect the vulnerable (heat and cold kill the
elderly fast). Comms: charged power banks, a battery/wind-up radio for information,
knowing that mobile networks can also fail (see [[family-emergency-plan]] for the
reconnect plan).
- Prepare, then know the abandon threshold. Stock the outage kit (lights, power banks,
CO alarm, water, non-cook food, warmth), and set the clear line at which staying becomes
unsafe — no heat in dangerous cold, no medical power, no water — and where you'd go.
Deciding that threshold in advance prevents the fatal "we'll just wait a bit longer."
Output Format
## Medical power (if anyone depends on it — do this first)
[Device battery life · backup power sized to specs · utility medical/priority register ·
the relocate-to-power/hospital threshold — worked out with clinician + utility now]
## The plan by duration
Hours: … · Overnight: … · Multi-day: … [actions + the escalating risks]
## ⚠ The safety warnings that save lives
[CO: never run generators/grills/stoves indoors; battery CO alarm · improvised-heat fire
risk · food-safety thresholds]
## Food, warmth/cool, comms
[Food-safe durations & throw-out rule · staying warm/cool safely, protect the vulnerable ·
power banks + battery radio · networks can fail]
## Abandon threshold
[The clear line where staying is unsafe, and where you'd go]
⚠ Not medical advice. Medical-device continuity must be planned with your clinician and
utility. Follow official guidance in a real outage.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
Related
[[hazard-risk-map]] to know your outage likelihood; [[go-bag-builder]] and
[[emergency-doc-kit]] for the kit; [[family-emergency-plan]] for reconnecting when
networks fail; [[after-the-disaster]] for the aftermath.
1---2name: power-outage-plan3description: Plan for an extended power outage — keeping medically-essential devices running, food safe, the home warm or cool enough, and communication alive — before the lights go out, with the special focus on power-dependent medical needs. Use when someone says 'prepare for a power outage', 'what if the power goes out for days', 'blackout plan', or 'I rely on a medical device that needs electricity'. Produces an outage plan tiered by duration, a medical-power priority plan, food/heat/cool/comms guidance, and safety warnings. Not medical advice; medical-device continuity routes to clinicians/utilities.4---5
6# Power Outage Plan Skill
7
8An extended outage is one of the most common and underestimated emergencies — and one
9of the most dangerous for a specific group: anyone who depends on electricity for a
10medical device (oxygen concentrator, CPAP, dialysis, refrigerated medication, powered
11mobility). For them a blackout isn't an inconvenience, it's a medical emergency, and the
12plan must center on it. For everyone, the hazards are quiet: food spoilage, carbon-
13monoxide poisoning from improvised heat/generators, hypothermia or heatstroke, and being
14cut off. This skill builds the plan before the lights go out, tiered by how long the
15outage lasts, with the safety warnings that prevent the outage's *secondary* deaths.
16
17## What This Skill Produces
18
19- A **duration-tiered plan**: what to do for a few hours vs overnight vs multi-day —
20 because the response and the risks escalate with time
21- A **medical-power priority plan** (first, for anyone who needs it): battery backup, the
22 utility's medical/priority register, backup power options, and the threshold at which
23 you relocate to power/a hospital — worked out *with clinicians and the utility* in advance
24- **Food, heat/cool, and comms guidance**: keeping food safe (and when to throw it out),
25 staying warm or cool safely, and keeping phones and information alive
26- **The safety warnings that save lives**: carbon-monoxide (never run generators/grills/
27 camp stoves indoors), improvised-heat fire risk, and food-safety thresholds — the
28 secondary hazards that kill more than the outage itself
29
30## Required Inputs
31
32Ask for (if not already provided):
33- Anyone in the home dependent on power for a medical device or refrigerated medication —
34 this reshapes the whole plan
35- The likely outage causes and durations for the area (storms, grid strain, wildfire
36 shutoffs — pair with [[hazard-risk-map]])
37- The home: heating/cooling type (does it need electricity?), cooking, water (well pumps
38 fail without power), and vulnerable household members
39- Existing backup (generator, battery, none) and budget/space for more
40
41## Framework
42
431. **Medical power first — it's the emergency inside the emergency.** For any power-
44 dependent device or refrigerated medication: how long its battery lasts, backup power
45 (device batteries, a suitable power station — sized with the device specs), enrolling
46 on the utility's medical/priority-reconnection register, and the pre-decided threshold
47 to relocate to reliable power or a hospital. This is worked out with the clinician and
48 utility *now*, not improvised in the dark. The skill organizes it and routes the
49 medical specifics to them.
502. **Tier the plan by duration.** Hours: fridge stays cold if unopened, use battery light,
51 sit tight. Overnight: heat/cool safely, meds and food managed, phones conserved.
52 Multi-day: food-safety decisions, water if pumps fail, warmth/cooling as the priority,
53 and the relocate-or-stay call. Each tier has different actions and different dangers.
543. **Warn hard about carbon monoxide and fire — the secondary killers.** Generators, grills,
55 and camp stoves indoors or in attached garages kill via CO every outage; never run them
56 inside, and have a battery CO alarm. Improvised heating (ovens, unvented heaters) causes
57 fires and CO. These warnings are not optional garnish — they're the point.
584. **Keep food, warmth/cool, and comms.** Food: keep fridge/freezer closed, know the safe-
59 duration thresholds and the "when in doubt throw it out" rule. Temperature: layer for
60 cold, hydrate and find cooling for heat, protect the vulnerable (heat and cold kill the
61 elderly fast). Comms: charged power banks, a battery/wind-up radio for information,
62 knowing that mobile networks can also fail (see [[family-emergency-plan]] for the
63 reconnect plan).
645. **Prepare, then know the abandon threshold.** Stock the outage kit (lights, power banks,
65 CO alarm, water, non-cook food, warmth), and set the clear line at which staying becomes
66 unsafe — no heat in dangerous cold, no medical power, no water — and where you'd go.
67 Deciding that threshold in advance prevents the fatal "we'll just wait a bit longer."
68
69## Output Format
70
71```
72## Medical power (if anyone depends on it — do this first)
73[Device battery life · backup power sized to specs · utility medical/priority register ·
74the relocate-to-power/hospital threshold — worked out with clinician + utility now]
75
76## The plan by duration
77Hours: … · Overnight: … · Multi-day: … [actions + the escalating risks]
78
79## ⚠ The safety warnings that save lives
80[CO: never run generators/grills/stoves indoors; battery CO alarm · improvised-heat fire
81risk · food-safety thresholds]
82
83## Food, warmth/cool, comms
84[Food-safe durations & throw-out rule · staying warm/cool safely, protect the vulnerable ·
85power banks + battery radio · networks can fail]
86
87## Abandon threshold
88[The clear line where staying is unsafe, and where you'd go]
89
90⚠ Not medical advice. Medical-device continuity must be planned with your clinician and
91utility. Follow official guidance in a real outage.
92```
93
94## Quality Checks
95
96- [ ] Medical-power dependency is handled first and routed to clinician + utility, with a
97 relocate threshold
98- [ ] The plan is tiered by outage duration with escalating actions and risks
99- [ ] The carbon-monoxide and improvised-heat warnings are prominent and unambiguous
100- [ ] Food-safety thresholds and vulnerable-person heat/cold protection are covered
101- [ ] A clear abandon threshold and destination are set in advance
102
103## Anti-Patterns
104
105- [ ] Do not bury or soften the CO warning — indoor generators/grills/stoves kill every
106 outage; this is the highest-stakes line in the skill
107- [ ] Do not give medical advice or size medical backup power without the device specs and
108 clinician — route it
109- [ ] Do not treat all outages as equal — duration changes everything
110- [ ] Do not ignore the vulnerable (elderly, infants, power-dependent) — they're who
111 outages actually harm
112- [ ] Do not omit the abandon threshold — "waiting it out" past safety is how people die at
113 home in cold/heat
114
115## Related
116
117[[hazard-risk-map]] to know your outage likelihood; [[go-bag-builder]] and
118[[emergency-doc-kit]] for the kit; [[family-emergency-plan]] for reconnecting when
119networks fail; [[after-the-disaster]] for the aftermath.
Mohit Aggarwal