Last reviewed: August 20, 2026. This guide reflects federal information available on that date. State, Tribal, utility, building-code, and program rules can differ by location.
Resilience is not one product. It is the ability to keep people safe, protect the building, and restore essential functions when power, fuel, communications, or safe outdoor air are disrupted.
Key takeaways
- List critical needs first: medical devices, safe temperature, refrigeration, well or sump pumps, communications, lighting, and mobility equipment.
- Never run a portable generator in a home, garage, basement, crawl space, shed, or other enclosed area—even with doors open.
- CPSC says to operate a portable generator outdoors at least 20 feet from homes and buildings, with exhaust directed away from doors, windows, and vents.
- Do not touch wet electrical equipment or stand in water near it. Flooded equipment must be evaluated before re-energizing.
Build a load-based outage plan
Write down each essential device’s running watts, starting surge, voltage, and daily hours. Include the refrigerator, selected lighting, communications, medical equipment, HVAC or room conditioning, and water or sump needs. Confirm whether a backup source can start motors and whether it provides the correct power quality. A battery’s advertised capacity is not all usable energy, and inverter and temperature losses reduce runtime.
Decide in advance what will not run. Whole-home central air, electric resistance heat, electric water heating, cooking, and clothes drying can overwhelm small backup systems. A smaller conditioned “safe room” may be more practical, provided ventilation and occupant needs are addressed.
Portable generator safety
Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless. Use the CPSC 20-foot outdoor placement rule, direct exhaust away from the building, and keep working carbon-monoxide alarms on every level and outside sleeping areas according to manufacturer and local requirements. Do not assume an open garage door makes operation safe.
Use a listed transfer device installed by a qualified electrician when connecting to home circuits. Never backfeed through a receptacle; it can energize utility lines and endanger workers and neighbors. Follow manufacturer instructions for grounding, weather protection, cooling, refueling, storage, and extension-cord rating. Let equipment cool before refueling.
Extreme heat and cold
Before heat season, service cooling equipment, shade sun-exposed windows appropriately, seal major leaks, and identify a local cooling location. Fans cool people through air movement but do not lower room temperature, and fan-only strategies become unsafe in sufficiently hot conditions; follow local public-health alerts.
Before freeze season, protect vulnerable pipes, know the water shutoff, maintain heating equipment, and identify a warming location. Never heat a home with a gas oven, charcoal grill, camp stove, or outdoor heater. If using a fireplace or fuel-burning heater intended for indoor use, follow its listing, venting, clearance, and fuel requirements.
Wildfire smoke
Check AirNow and local instructions. Before smoke arrives, obtain compatible HVAC filters and a correctly sized portable air cleaner. EPA’s 2026 guidance favors mechanical filtration and recommends MERV 13 or higher when the HVAC system can accommodate it. Learn how to set outdoor-air intakes to recirculate during a smoke event without disabling ventilation needed for combustion safety. Create a cleaner-air room with doors and windows closed when safe.
Electronic ionizers and ozone-producing devices are not recommended for smoke removal. During long events, watch indoor heat and carbon dioxide as well as particles; a sealed room can overheat or become poorly ventilated.
Flood and storm preparation
Keep important documents and a photographed home inventory accessible. Where flood risk exists, consider professionally elevating HVAC, water heaters, electrical components, and backup equipment to the level required by current local floodplain and building rules. Maintain gutters, drains, grading, sump pumps, and approved backflow measures.
After a flood, return only when officials say it is safe. FEMA says not to touch wet electrical equipment or touch equipment while standing in water. Submerged electrical and fuel equipment can present shock, fire, explosion, and contamination risks and should be inspected before use. EPA advises not turning on a flooded home’s HVAC system until cleaning, drying, repair, and remediation are complete.
Review the plan twice a year
Test alarms and backup equipment according to manufacturer instructions; rotate fuel safely; check battery state of charge; update medications and contacts; and practice a nighttime outage. Include renters, children, older adults, pets, and anyone relying on powered medical or mobility equipment. Resilience starts with the people who must use the plan.
This article provides general educational information, not tax, legal, engineering, or medical advice. Use licensed professionals where permits, combustion equipment, refrigerants, structural work, electricity, or contaminated water are involved.