Home & Garden

How to Use the Outage Prep Planner

Check off items as you gather them, edit any pre-filled suggestion to match what you actually have, and add your own items to any category — then click "Print / Save as PDF" for a clean, checkbox-ready printout covering power, food and water, medical needs, communication, safety, and documents.

The tool is built to be genuinely edited and customized, not used as-is, since every household's real needs differ.

Customizing for your specific situation

As covered in the missing-items guide, pay particular attention to the Documents & Cash and Communication categories, which are the ones most people's mental checklists tend to skip — and as covered in the kit-type guide, adjust quantities based on whether you're building a portable go-kit or a longer-duration stay-at-home kit.

Printing it somewhere you'll actually see it

As covered in the before-during-after guide, a printed checklist kept with your actual emergency supplies (not just saved on a device that may be dead when you need it) is far more useful in the moment than a digital-only copy.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make multiple checklists for different kit types?

Yes — build and print one version for a portable go-kit, then adjust quantities and print again for a stay-at-home kit, since nothing is saved automatically between visits and each print reflects whatever is currently checked and edited.

Does checking an item off save automatically for next time?

No — nothing persists between visits, so complete your checklist and print or save it as a PDF in one session rather than expecting to return to a saved, partially-checked version later.