Guides › 7-Day Power Outage Pack
7-Day Power Outage Pack
A calm, day-by-day plan for staying warm or cool, fed, safe and connected when the power is out for days
Plan the first hour. Get through the first week.
- Quick Pack (13 pages) + Full Guide (56 pages)
- Instant download
- US Letter, prints on A4 too
- Worksheets you fill in
- Plain English
$12.99 one-time, instant download
- Secure checkout by Payhip
- Download link on screen and by email
- Read the free sample first
- No refund once downloaded
Who it is for
For any household preparing for a multi-day power outage from storms, winter weather, heat or grid failure, including homes with electric or gas heating, medical needs, babies or older adults.
What you get
- A day-by-day plan for the first hour, the first day, days 2 to 3 and days 4 to 7, with a daily routine.
- Stay-or-leave decision tables for a cold home and a hot home, with clear signs for when to call 911.
- Heating and cooling guidance by type: electric, gas or oil that needs electricity, heating that works without power, and wood.
- A carbon monoxide section on generators, heaters, cooking and alarms, with a never-do table and steps if an alarm sounds.
- Safe light without candles, fridge and freezer timelines, what to eat first, and how to cook safely without power.
- Water for stored supplies, treatment, winter pipes and wells, plus plain advice on staying clean and sanitary without water or power.
- Backup power explained: generators, portable power stations, home batteries, and why grid-tied solar panels shut off.
- A device power-budget worksheet with a worked example, so you can work out your run time in watt-hours and what to power first.
- Guidance for medical needs, powered equipment and medicine that needs cooling, and who to tell.
- Radios, phones and alerts, plus ways to stay warm, calm and connected, with tips for babies, children and older adults and safe ways to check on neighbors.
- A checklist for when the power comes back: food safety, protecting your appliances, and getting back to normal.
- A one-page summary and three printable worksheets: a contact sheet, a power-budget worksheet and an outage log.
What is in it
- The Plan: First Hour to Day 7This section tells you what to do and when, from the moment the lights go out to day 7. Work down each phase in order and tick each box as you go.
- Heating, Cooling and Deciding When to LeaveYour heating works differently from the next house's. This section shows what works without power, how to stay warm or cool, and when it is time to stay or go.
- Carbon Monoxide: The Danger You Cannot SeeCarbon monoxide (CO) is a gas you cannot see or smell. Most outage deaths from it happen when people run fuel-burning equipment in the wrong place. This section shows exactly what to do and what never to do.
- Light, Food and CookingSafe light lets you work, move and sleep without risk of fire. Safe food habits protect your family from the sickness that follows a long outage.
- Water, Sanitation and HygieneYou can last a few days without food but not without water. This section covers how much to store, how to make water safe, and how to stay clean without running water.
- Backup Power and Your Power BudgetBackup power can run a few important things for a few days. This section explains the types, how to stay safe and how to work out how long yours will last.
- Medical Needs, Equipment and MedicineIf anyone in your home depends on powered equipment or medicine that must stay cold, plan with your doctor and pharmacist before an outage. This guide gives no doses or diagnoses.
- Information, Staying Safe and Looking After Each OtherThis section covers how to stay informed with power and phones down, and how to look after babies, children, older adults and neighbors.
- When Power ReturnsThe lights come on, but your work is not done. These steps protect your food, your appliances and your family when the power comes back.
- Worksheets: Contact Sheet and Outage LogPrint these pages, fill them in with a pen while the lights are on, and keep them with your flashlight.
Read a free sample
This is the opening of the guide, exactly as it appears in the PDF. Download the free sample PDF (5 pages: the cover, the one-page plan and a first taste).
Part 3
Carbon Monoxide: The Danger You Cannot See
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas you cannot see or smell. Most outage deaths from it happen when people run fuel-burning equipment in the wrong place. This section shows exactly what to do and what never to do.
Set up a generator safely
Do this every time. Read the maker's manual first.
- Place the generator outdoors, at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) from every window, door and vent, with the exhaust pointing away from the house.S6, S16, S37Porches and carports are not far enough.
- Use a heavy-duty outdoor-rated cord longer than 20 feet, sized for the load.S6, S15This lets you keep the generator far from the house.
- Plug appliances directly into the generator or into a cord. Do not plug it into a wall outlet.S15, S17, S37Backfeeding can kill utility workers and damage your home wiring.
- Keep the generator dry, and use outlets with ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection.S17A GFCI shuts power off fast if there is a shock hazard.
- Turn the generator off and let it cool before you refuel it.S15, S17Fuel spilled on a hot engine can catch fire.
- Store fuel outdoors in approved containers, away from the home and from anything that makes heat or sparks.S15, S17Fuel vapor is flammable.
$12.99 one-time, instant download
- Secure checkout by Payhip
- Download link on screen and by email
- Read the free sample first
- No refund once downloaded
Questions
What exactly do I get?
Two PDFs in one download. The Quick Pack (13 pages) is the short version: the one-page plan, the checklists and the sheets to fill in and keep. The Full Guide (56 pages) has the reasons, worked examples and everything else. Open the Quick Pack first. Both are laid out for US Letter paper. You print them, or read them on a tablet or computer. There is nothing physical to wait for.
How do I get it after I pay?
Payment is handled by Payhip, a payment service for digital products. As soon as it goes through, you see a page with your download link, and the same link is emailed to you. This website never sees your card details.
Can I print it?
Yes. It is made for printing: big type, plenty of space to write, and worksheets you fill in by hand. Print the whole thing, or only the pages you need. Print at 100% size on US Letter (it also prints fine on A4).
Is it based on real sources?
Yes. Every instruction traces to an official source such as Ready.gov and FEMA, the CDC, the National Weather Service, the American Red Cross, the US Department of Energy and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The sources are listed at the end, with tags next to the items they support. It was fact-checked and safety-reviewed before publication. It is still general information, not professional advice, so check anything critical with your local authorities.
Is it just the free plan on a PDF?
No. The free personal plan gives you a checklist and your top priorities. The guides go further: decision rules, schedules, scenario walkthroughs and worksheets you fill in, written for one situation in depth.
Can I get a refund?
Read the free sample and the full contents list first, so you know what you are buying. Because this is a digital download, we cannot refund it once you have downloaded it. If you have not downloaded it yet, email hello@afternormal.co within 14 days and you will be refunded. If the file is faulty, will not open or is not what we described, email us and we will fix it, replace it or refund you. See the terms for the details.
Will I get updates?
Official guidance changes. If we revise this guide you will be able to download the new edition from the same link.