HOMEFRONT COMPASS / POWER OUTAGES
What happens to food, cooling, communication and backup power when electricity stops? Step inside three fictional California outage scenarios, make a choice, and see the real guidance behind it.
Enter the blackoutNO SCORE · NO LIVE UTILITY FEED · NOTHING SAVED
THE SHORT ANSWER
Food starts to warm, cooling stops, and any generator brings a carbon monoxide risk. Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed, run a generator only outdoors and at least 20 feet from windows and doors, don't count on a fan in dangerous heat, and plan ahead for anyone who relies on powered medical equipment. The three stories below are fictional, and each choice ends on what an official source says. In an emergency, follow your utility and local alerts, and call 911.
THREE FICTIONAL DAYS
Three short stories with three decisions each. Every choice opens the guidance behind it. There is no score.
Choose a story to see the house change.
READY WHEN YOU ARE
Pick one of the three stories above. You'll make three small decisions and see what the source behind each one says.
THE GUIDANCE BEHIND THE CHOICE
Open the sourceYour answers stay on this screen and are not saved. This is an educational story, not emergency advice or proof that your home is prepared.
END OF THE STORY
A real outage depends on your household, your utility, your equipment and the event itself. Read the source pages before deciding what belongs in your own plan.
See the sourcesSIX FIELD NOTES
The same six lessons as the stories, in plain text, each with the page it comes from. None of them assumes your home has any particular equipment.
FIELD NOTE / 01
Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed. Ready.gov says the refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours and a full freezer for about 48 hours, and to throw out food that has been at 40°F or higher for two hours or more.
Ready.gov: Power outagesFIELD NOTE / 02
CPSC says never to run a portable generator inside a home or garage, even with doors and windows open, and never to power the house by plugging a generator into a wall outlet, which it calls backfeeding.
CPSC: Portable generator safety alert (PDF)FIELD NOTE / 03
Ready.gov says not to rely on a fan as your main way to stay cool. If the home gets dangerously hot, find a cooling center, and call 911 if you suspect heat stroke.
Ready.gov: Extreme heatFIELD NOTE / 04
A Public Safety Power Shutoff is a utility turning off power to specific areas to lower the risk of fires caused by electric infrastructure. Confirm any notice with your own utility and use the warning to prepare.
CPUC: Public Safety Power ShutoffsFIELD NOTE / 05
CPUC's PSPS FAQ says most solar systems power down during a shutoff, and that you must contact your utility if you plan to use backup power connected directly to your home's wiring. It also points you to a licensed contractor.
CPUC: PSPS FAQsFIELD NOTE / 06
California's regulated utilities must plan PSPS support for people who rely on electricity, such as for medical equipment, and link to Medical Baseline enrollment. Ask your utility before an outage.
CPUC: Access and functional needsSOURCES / OPENED OCTOBER 13, 2026
The stories dramatize a few decisions, not real outcomes. Each agency owns its advice and updates it over time, so its current page takes priority over this summary.
Every page listed here was opened and read on October 13, 2026. This page has no live outage status, utility service areas, electrical design, medical advice, food-safety verdicts or backup-runtime estimates. In an emergency, follow official instructions and call 911.
Updated
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