Power outage prep for a New York City apartment

Set these up this week (all free)

1. 1Sign up for Notify NYC. It's the City's official emergency alert program, covering utility outages and other emergencies. Sign up for Notify NYC. Or text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692.
2. 2Save 311 in your phone and on paper. Call 311 or use 311 online to report lost water service, low water pressure, or a water main break, and to find open cooling centers during a heat emergency.
3. 3Save your utility's number. Con Edison's 24-hour hotline is 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633), NYC Emergency Management says. Report an outage on Con Edison's site, or text REG to 688-243 for outage updates. If another company serves your address (PSEG Long Island serves the Rockaways), save its number instead.
4. 4Fill out the city's Emergency Reference Card. It's part of the free Ready New York pocket guide (PDF). Each person in your home should carry one with meeting places and key phone numbers written in.
5. 5If anyone uses powered medical equipment, register it with your utility and make a backup power plan. See the medical section below.
6. 6Get a NOAA weather radio set up. It works when phones and the internet don't. How to choose and set one up →

Elevators and stairs

• If your elevator has no backup power, it stops when the power does. On a high floor, every trip out means climbing back up, in a dark stairwell, with whatever you're carrying.
• Walk your stairwell once, in the dark, with a flashlight, so you know the route and where the doors lead.
• Keep a headlamp, your shoes and your keys by the door.We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.See headlamps in the Shop →
• Plan fewer, lighter trips. That's another reason to keep water and food at home before an outage, not to buy it during one.
• If someone in your home can't manage stairs, plan now with your building staff and neighbors for how they'd get help. Don't wait for an outage to work that out.

Water on upper floors

In NYC buildings with more than six floors, pumps push water up to rooftop tanks, and it flows down from there. When the power is out, those pumps may stop unless the building has backup power. You may have water for a while from what's already in the tank, then lose it on upper floors until power returns.

• Store water before you need it. Ready.gov says at least one gallon per person per day for several days. The higher you live, the more this matters.We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.See water containers in the Shop →
• Keep extra water for flushing toilets. A bucket of stored water poured into the bowl will flush it.
• If a long outage is forecast and your water is still running, fill containers and your bathtub.
• Ask your super now whether your building's water pumps have backup power. It's a one-minute question that changes your plan.
• How much to store and how: our water guide →

Buzzers, locks, and building systems

• Intercoms, electronic buzzers, and smart locks can fail without power or internet. Know how to get in with a physical key.
• Laundry cards, package lockers, and rent portals may stop working. Find out what your building does when they're down.
• The lobby and bulletin boards often become the building's news source during an outage. Check them.
• A cordless home phone may lose service in a power outage, NYC Emergency Management warns. Keep your cell charged from a power bank you've already filled.We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you.See power banks in the Shop →

Heat and cold

• In a summer outage, keep Ready.gov's warning in mind: in very hot temperatures, your water needs can double. During heat emergencies, the City opens cooling centers across the five boroughs. Call 311 or use the city's Cooling Center Finder to see what's open near you.
• Never heat your apartment with a gas oven or stove, and never bring a grill, camp stove, or generator inside or onto a balcony. They give off carbon monoxide.
• Kerosene heaters and propane space heaters are dangerous and illegal in New York City, NYC Emergency Management says.
• Put a battery or battery-backup CO alarm near every sleeping area. CDC says carbon monoxide has no color or smell, and people who are asleep can be poisoned before they have symptoms.
• NYC law requires building owners to install at least one approved CO alarm within 15 feet of the primary entrance to each sleeping room. If yours is missing or not working, tell your landlord. If they don't fix it, call 311 to file a complaint.
• No heat or hot water in your apartment? NYC HPD says to contact your landlord first, and if they don't respond, file a complaint by calling 311 or using 311 online.
• Skip: fuel generators, which are unsafe indoors, and indoor "emergency heaters" made for outdoor use.

Check on your neighbors

Knock on doors, especially for older neighbors and anyone living alone. Offer to pick up groceries or deliver supplies, as NYC Emergency Management suggests. Carrying water up for someone is a good offer too. In a multi-day outage, the people on your floor are your fastest help.

Buy, Borrow, or Skip

• Buy: water containers, a headlamp for each adult, a power bank, a battery radio, a battery CO alarm, and no-cook food.
• Borrow: a neighbor's cooler, and help carrying water upstairs.