Lessons From a Week Without Power

Extended outages expose the gaps in any plan. Here are the patterns that show up again and again.

What fails first

• Phone batteries. Keep power banks charged.
• Refrigerated food. Eat it first, keep the doors closed.
• Morale. Cards, books and a routine matter more than you'd think.

Cheap fixes

LED lanterns instead of candles (fire risk), a car charger, a camp stove with extra fuel and a cooler with ice packs.

Safety

Never run generators, grills or camp stoves indoors or in a garage. Carbon monoxide kills quietly; install a battery CO alarm.