The day after: water, power, and what to write down, in that order

// i. water

Is the tap water safe?

If there is a boil-water notice, or the water looks or smells wrong, treat it as unsafe. Ready.gov's guidance: bring water to a rolling boil for one full minute and let it cool. If you can't boil, use regular unscented household bleach (5.25 to 6% sodium hypochlorite): 1/8 teaspoon per gallon, stir, let stand 30 minutes; it should smell faintly of bleach, and if it doesn't, repeat the dose and wait 15 more minutes. Cloudy water: filter it through a clean cloth first, then treat.

Flooded well? Don't drink from it until it's been tested. Bottled or treated water only.

What you have: the water heater tank (turn off power or gas first, drain from the bottom valve), ice in the freezer, and any sealed containers. The household water plan tells you how many gallons your family needs per day; the answer is one gallon per person, more in heat.

Source: Ready.gov, "Water" (page dated 22 Feb 2021, read 10 Sept 2026). Not medical advice; follow local notices.

// ii. power

The fridge, the generator, and the one rule that kills people

The fridge: Ready.gov says a closed refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours and a full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours. Keep the doors shut and decide by the clock, not by opening it to look; use a thermometer and throw out food that reached 40 °F or more.

The generator: outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages, exhaust pointed away from the house. Never inside, never in a garage, even with the door open. Carbon monoxide is the reason; a working CO detector on every level is the cheap insurance. Refuel only when it's off and cool.

What to run first: the fridge and the phone chargers, then a fan or a space heater, then the rest. A small generator or a battery station won't run a house; it runs the three things you choose. Part v of the water chapter compares the two when it's published.

In an apartment: the generator is out of the question, so the plan is water, a power bank and the fridge clock. Part iii, 48 hours without power, does the arithmetic for your household.

Source: Ready.gov, "Power outages" (page dated 4 June 2026, read 10 Sept 2026).

// iii. write it down

Three lines for next time, while you still remember

Memory fades faster than the mud dries. Before tonight, write these three lines somewhere you'll find again:

1. What ran out first. Water, light, phone battery, cash, a medication, patience. That is the first item on the next shopping list.
2. What you didn't know. Where the water shutoff was, how long the freezer held, which neighbor had a generator. That becomes a note taped inside a cupboard door.
3. What worked. The thing you were glad you had. Keep it where it was.

When the lights are back, the household water plan turns line one into gallons, and water storage basics turns the gallons into containers and a rotation date.