Shelter, Heat & Power

By GoldBlock WorkshopPublished Updated

The short answer

This section covers carbon monoxide, home temperature, backup power, light, information and fire safety in an outage. CPSC: “NEVER operate a portable generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or other enclosed spaces,” and “Test CO and smoke alarms monthly.” CDC: never heat a home with a gas oven. The Red Cross: “Evacuate if your home is too hot or too cold, or if you have medical devices that need power.” The table below points to the page for each situation.

Numbers to know first

  • 400+Americans die each year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to firesSource: CDC
  • 20 feetCPSC: generators outside only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust directed away; CDC: more than 20 feet from any windows, doors and ventsSource: CPSC; CDC
  • 3 feetkeep anything that can burn at least this far from a space heater or other heat sourceSource: U.S. Fire Administration
  • Monthlytest smoke alarmsSource: U.S. Fire Administration

Start here

Each line points to the page or section for that situation.

If Start with
A CO alarm is sounding or someone feels sick near a fuel-burning device CPSC: “Get outside immediately and call 911”; then Carbon Monoxide Safety
The home is getting too cold or too hot Home Temperature During Outages
You need power for a freezer, well pump or medical device Backup Power for Vital Loads
You need light, charging or weather warnings The lighting and information section below
The home cannot be kept safe The shelter options section below and your local officials’ directions

What causes the harm in an outage?

CPSC’s 2022 annual estimates (May 2026): generators accounted “for 41 percent of all non-fire CO deaths related to consumer products under CPSC’s jurisdiction” from 2012 to 2022, and in 2022 “An estimated 76 deaths (28%) were associated with some type of heating appliance.” The CDC counts more than 400 unintentional non-fire CO deaths a year in the U.S. Candle and heating fire rules are below and on Home Temperature During Outages.

How is this section organized?

This section is split into three pages: where you stay and how you stay in a safe temperature range (Home Temperature During Outages), the devices that make carbon monoxide and the rules for them (Carbon Monoxide Safety), and power for the few things that matter (Backup Power for Vital Loads). Light, information and fire safety are below.

What do the planning figures say?

The Red Cross kit guidance lists a “3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home” of food and water. CDC: with doors closed, “food will stay safe up to: 4 hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, 24 hours in a half-full freezer.” Loads that need backup power, and how they are sized, are on Backup Power for Vital Loads.

What are the shelter options if the home becomes unsafe?

The Red Cross: “Evacuate if your home is too hot or too cold, or if you have medical devices that need power.” The CDC says that when it is too hot or too cold you can go to friends, a community shelter, or an air-conditioned public place such as a mall or library. For planning the move itself, the Red Cross’s guidance is: “Decide where you would go and what route you would take to get there,” “Plot alternate routes on your map in case roads are impassable,” and “Practice evacuating your home twice a year” (Red Cross: Make a Plan). GoldBlock’s Tools & Mobility page does not yet cover evacuation; it is on the rebuild list. Storm, flood and structural damage are outside this page’s scope.

How is light and information kept without power?

The CDC says to use “battery-powered flashlights and lanterns, rather than candles,” and the U.S. Fire Administration: “Use flashlights, not candles, if you have a power outage.”

  • Candles: U.S. Fire Administration: “Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that burns”; use “stable holders”; “Blow out candles when you leave a room or home, or when you go to bed.” CDC: “Never leave a burning candle unattended.”
  • Weather warnings: National Weather Service: “NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information,” around the clock. Ready.gov’s basic kit lists a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert.
  • Phones: Ready.gov’s kit lists a cell phone with chargers and a backup battery, and the Red Cross checklist says: “Have a backup battery or a way to charge your cell phone.” FCC: “WEAs are emergency messages sent by authorized government authorities to the public through participating wireless service providers.”
  • Extra batteries for every light and radio (Ready.gov kit).

Powering more than lights and phones is covered in Backup Power for Vital Loads.

What are the basics of home fire safety in an outage?

The U.S. Fire Administration: “Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home”; “Test alarms at least once a month”; “Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.”

  • Escape plan (U.S. Fire Administration): “Find 2 ways out of every room.” “Choose an outside meeting place in front of your home.” “Practice your home fire drill with everyone in the home.”
  • Fire extinguishers (U.S. Fire Administration): use one only if the fire is “small and contained in a single object or to a surface (like a pan or a wastebasket)” and you have “a clear escape route”; otherwise “alert others, leave the building, and call 911.” “Young children and older adults should not use fire extinguishers.”
  • Heaters and fireplaces have their own fire rules, covered in Home Temperature During Outages.
  • Smoke alarms and CO alarms are separate devices. CPSC: “Test CO and smoke alarms monthly to make sure they are working properly and replace batteries if needed.” The Red Cross: “Install battery-operated or battery back-up CO alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas”; more on CO alarms is in Carbon Monoxide Safety.

What the agencies say backup heat and power cannot do

The CDC says that if you cannot keep your home warm, stay somewhere else; the EPA says a CO detector is “NOT A REPLACEMENT for proper installation, use, and maintenance of fuel-burning appliances”; and CPSC: “Opening doors or windows will not provide enough ventilation to prevent the buildup of lethal levels of CO.” Sizing backup power to a list of loads is on Backup Power for Vital Loads.

How does this connect to the rest of preparedness?

The Survival & Preparedness hub maps the other sections.

  • Water Preparedness: Ready.gov notes “In very hot temperatures, water needs can double,” and a private well’s electric pump stops in an outage (Chester County Health Department, quoted there).
  • Food Preparedness: storing and cooking food through an outage.
  • Medical & First Aid: first aid (the page is on the rebuild list).
  • Tools & Mobility: the equipment and transport that keep your options open (evacuation is not yet covered there).

Common questions

Can I run a generator in my garage if the door is open?

No. CPSC: never inside a home, garage, basement, crawlspace, shed or other enclosed space, and opening doors or windows “will not provide enough ventilation.” The distance and exhaust rule is in the notice at the top of this page; the full wording is on Carbon Monoxide Safety.

Are candles safe in a power outage?

The CDC and U.S. Fire Administration both say to use flashlights instead of candles in an outage. For candles in use: at least 12 inches from anything that burns (U.S. Fire Administration) and never unattended (CDC).

How often should I test smoke alarms?

Monthly, and replace the whole alarm every 10 years (U.S. Fire Administration).

What radio do I need for emergencies?

Ready.gov’s basic kit lists a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert.

When should we leave home in an outage?

The Red Cross says to evacuate if your home is too hot or too cold, or if you have medical devices that need power.

Where to go next

Sources