Following a disaster, clean drinking water may not be available. Experts recommend that residents of the Pacific Northwest store 14 gallons of water per person in your household (enough for two weeks).

Here are some water storage and treatment tips:

• Store water in a number of different locations such as under the sink, in the garage, a storage shed, or closet. Check out our video for tips on storing water when you don't have a lot of space.
• Purchase bottled water from the store, or buy and fill your own containers.
• It's safe to store water in cleaned and disinfected soda bottles, but do not use milk or juice containers for water storage.
• You can use the water in your hot water heater for cleaning and sanitation, but not for drinking or cooking.
• Know how to treat water if necessary. FEMA recommends boiling, chlorinating, or distilling "suspicious" water.

Being prepared with a back-up power system in the event of a major disaster or prolonged power outage is an important part of disaster planning, especially for people who use electricity and battery-dependent assistive medical devices such as breathing machines or power wheelchairs (learn more about our Residential Medical Support Program).

Generating your own power

Using a generator when the power goes out is a great option, but safety should be the top priority for both you and utility workers. There are two kinds of generators, portable and permanent. Portable generators are intended to provide power to an extension cord which is then plugged directly into an appliance or piece of equipment. Permanent generators are wired directly into the electrical system of your home. Learn more about generator safety.

Let there be light

Whether a natural disaster or just an unanticipated power outage, having emergency lighting is critical to helping you navigate the darkness. LED flashlights provide super bright light and last for hours. Keep several flashlights at home and keep one in each of your cars. Lightsticks and emergency candles or lanterns can provide low level lighting for extend periods of time. Make sure your emergency kit includes extra batteries.

Stay connected

Smartphones have become a vital tool to receive emergency alerts and warnings, so it's important to make sure you can keep them powered up in an emergency. If the power goes out, preserve battery power by minimizing device use and changing the setting to low power mode or airplane mode. Have an emergency charging option for your phone and other mobile devices. 

Getting to know your neighbors can improve your safety and help the whole community become more disaster-resilient.

The Map Your Neighborhood program can help you meet your neighbors and prepare for emergencies. Once you and your neighbors have a good start on household preparedness, you can use the Map Your Neighborhood program to plan to help each other effectively after a disaster. Map Your Neighborhood walks your group through a simple step-by-step process to customize an emergency preparedness plan for your area.

Southeast Neighbors also has some great information about Map Your Neighborhood on their website.

If there is an extended power outage in the middle of winter, you'll need to take steps to keep your home as warm and comfortable as possible. 

• Avoid opening and closing exterior doors. 
• Set up "camp" in one room, and close off the rest of the house.
• Close interior doors, and hang blankets across passage ways to help retain heat.
• Place rolled up towels at the base of exterior doors.
• Cover the windows with blankets and/or plastic. 
• Put blankets, rugs or pillows on the floor to further insulate the room. 
• Wear loose layers of clothes.

Any time the power goes out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours if the door remains closed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends these food safety steps to follow before and during a power outage.