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In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri pushed the Texas power grid to the edge of collapse. At the peak, more than 4.5 million homes and businesses were without power, many for days, in record cold. Boil water notices and empty grocery shelves followed. The Texas Department of State Health Services later counted 246 storm-related deaths, most from hypothermia.
Four years earlier, Hurricane Maria caused the longest blackout in U.S. history. It took nearly 11 months to restore power to all of Puerto Rico, and many communities went without running water for months.
Most outages last hours. A grid failure is different: it can last days or weeks, and it takes down water, fuel, phones, pharmacies and veterinary clinics at the same time. This guide shows you how to prepare your dogs and cats for that longer, harder scenario. For what to do during a typical outage, see our companion guide to pets and power outages.
Quick Answer: How Do You Prepare Pets for an Extended Power Outage?
Short answer: Plan for at least two weeks without power. Store two weeks of pet food, water and medication, set up a safe backup power source such as a portable power station with solar charging, prepare one warm (or cool) safe room for your pets, keep cash, fuel and a battery radio on hand, and decide in advance what conditions will make you leave with your pets.
- Supplies: two weeks of food, water and medications for every pet.
- Power: a fume-free power station that can recharge from solar panels.
- Temperature: one safe room you can keep warm or cool without the grid.
- Exit plan: know your trigger points and a pet-friendly place to go.
Why a Grid Failure Is Harder Than an Ordinary Outage
When a whole region loses power for days, the systems you rely on for your pets fail together. Water treatment plants and well pumps need electricity. Gas stations can’t pump fuel. Card readers and ATMs go dark. Cell towers run down their backup batteries. Pharmacies, pet stores and veterinary clinics close or run out of stock, and roads may be unsafe to travel. That’s why grid-failure planning focuses on being self-sufficient for longer, not just getting through one dark night.
Step 1: Build a Two-Week Supply for Every Pet
Most emergency kits are built for three days. For grid failures, aim higher. The ASPCA already recommends 7 to 10 days of food, at least seven days of water and a two-week supply of medication for any evacuation. Given how long Uri and Maria lasted, BarkUpToday recommends building toward a full two weeks of everything.
| Supply | Two-week target | Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Dry food | At least 14 days per pet | Keep it in the original bag inside an airtight container; rotate it into daily feeding so it stays fresh |
| Canned food | A backup supply | Choose pop-top cans or keep a manual can opener |
| Water | At least 14 days per pet and person | Store in sealed containers in a cool, dark place and rotate regularly |
| Medications | At least 14 days | Ask your vet about an extra supply; keep it in a waterproof case |
| Sanitation | Two weeks | Extra litter, poop bags, pee pads and trash bags |
| Light and power | Two weeks of batteries or recharging | LED lanterns, power banks and a solar-charged power station |
If your pet eats fresh, frozen or raw food, keep a backup supply of a complete-and-balanced dry or canned food your pet already tolerates. Freezers won’t hold for two weeks without power.
Step 2: Plan Your Backup Power
For most pet owners, the safest backup is a portable power station: a large rechargeable battery with standard outlets. It makes no fumes, so it can run indoors, and many models recharge from solar panels, which matters when the grid is down for more than a few days.
How to Size a Power Station
Power stations are rated in watt-hours (Wh). To estimate what you need, multiply each device’s wattage (on its label) by the hours you’ll run it each day, then add them up.
| Device (example) | Watts | Hours per day | Daily use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small fan for your pet’s room | 30 W | 10 | 300 Wh |
| LED lights | 10 W | 5 | 50 Wh |
| Phone charging | 15 W | 3 | 45 Wh |
| Total | about 400 Wh |
Check the actual wattage of your own devices; these are only examples. Pair the power station with solar panels sized to refill it on a sunny day, and remember that cloudy days produce much less. Small refrigerators for insulin and other medications draw more power, so check their labels carefully before relying on a power station to run one.
If You Use a Gas Generator
Generators produce carbon monoxide, which can kill people and pets. The CDC says to keep generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, and never to use them, or grills, inside a home, garage or carport. During Uri, a woman and a girl in Houston died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning from a car running in an attached garage. Never warm pets, or yourself, in a running car in a garage. Install a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector, and store fuel safely away from the house.
Step 3: Prepare a Safe Room Without the Grid
Most of Uri’s victims died of the cold, and heat is just as dangerous in summer outages. Pick one room where you and your pets can ride out a long outage, and prepare it now.
- For cold: choose a small interior room, close it off, cover windows with blankets, and layer bedding off the floor. Self-warming pet beds, fleece blankets and a dog coat help pets hold body heat. Never use unvented fuel-burning heaters indoors.
- For heat: choose the coolest interior room on the lowest floor and run battery fans from your power station. Pressure-activated cooling mats work without electricity.
- Know who’s most at risk: Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center notes that short-muzzled breeds, overweight and older dogs, and dogs with heart or breathing problems are at higher risk of heatstroke. Very young, old, small and short-haired pets also lose body heat fastest in the cold.
Step 4: Secure Your Water Supply
Uri brought boil water notices to millions of Texans, and Maria left some Puerto Rico communities without running water for months. Store water before you need it: stackable water storage containers or larger water storage barrels make a two-week supply practical. When a storm is forecast, fill bathtubs and clean containers too.
If authorities issue a boil water advisory, give pets the same safe water you drink. The CDC advises commercially bottled water or tap water boiled for one minute and cooled. Boiling needs a working gas stove or camp stove, so stored water is your most reliable option, and most household filters don’t remove bacteria or viruses.
Step 5: Protect Medications and Plan for Vet Care
During a long grid failure, your regular veterinary clinic may close and pharmacies may not restock. Keep at least two weeks of every medication, a written list of drugs and doses, and copies of records in a waterproof medication case. Identify an emergency animal hospital outside your area, since clinics in other regions may still have power.
Insulin and other refrigerated medications need a cooling plan. The FDA’s emergency guidance covers human insulin, but veterinary insulins have their own storage limits, so ask your vet before storm season how long your pet’s insulin can stay unrefrigerated. Keep an insulated medication cooler and reusable ice packs ready, and never let insulin freeze or touch ice directly. Our power outage guide covers insulin storage in more detail.
Step 6: Keep Cash, Fuel and Communication Going
- Cash: card readers and ATMs need power. Keep small bills for food, fuel and emergency vet costs.
- Fuel: keep your car’s tank at least half full during storm season, because gas pumps need electricity.
- Information: a hand-crank NOAA weather radio keeps you informed when cell networks fail.
- Phones: charged power banks keep your phone ready to call your vet or emergency services.
- Escapes: fences fail and storms knock them down. A GPS dog tracker and a current microchip registration help bring a lost pet home.
Step 7: Decide in Advance When to Leave
Staying home isn’t always safest. Set your trigger points now, while you’re calm, and leave with your pets if any of these happen:
- Your safe room can’t be kept at a safe temperature for your pets.
- Your water supply will run out within a few days.
- A pet’s critical medication is running low or can’t be kept at a safe temperature.
- A pet is sick or injured and no veterinary care is available nearby.
- Officials advise leaving the area.
Know where you’ll go, such as friends or family outside the affected area or a pet-friendly hotel, and never leave pets behind. Our complete guide to pet disaster preparedness covers evacuation planning step by step.
Grid Failure Planning for Horses
Horses are hit especially hard by long outages because so much of their care runs on electricity: well pumps, automatic waterers, tank heaters, electric fences, barn fans and lights. The biggest challenge is water. Oklahoma State University Extension notes that a 1,000-pound horse drinks around 10 gallons a day, and equine extension specialists put an average idle horse at 10 to 12 gallons, an amount that can easily double in hot, humid weather. That means two weeks of water for a single horse is roughly 140 to 170 gallons, before summer heat.
- Store or source water now. Fill livestock water storage tanks and extra stock tanks before a storm. If you rely on a well, ask an electrician about a safe backup power setup for the pump, and know where you could haul water from.
- Prevent frozen water in winter. Tank heaters and heated buckets stop working without power. The University of Georgia Extension warns that horses may not drink enough when water is icy, which makes them more susceptible to impaction colic. Break ice several times a day, and use insulated buckets to slow freezing.
- Stock feed. Washington State University Extension recommends feed and water for 5 to 7 days, and two weeks if possible. Store hay dry and off the ground with heavy-duty hay tarps.
- Keep fences working. Plug-in electric fence chargers go dead in an outage. A solar electric fence charger or battery fence charger keeps horses contained, and you should walk fence lines for storm damage.
- Plan for veterinary gaps. Your equine vet may not be reachable for days. Keep an equine first aid kit, a list of medications, and the number of an equine hospital outside your area.
- Keep the trailer ready and leave early. Keep the truck fueled, the trailer road-ready, and halters and lead ropes by the door. The American Red Cross urges a precautionary evacuation of large animals, because waiting until the last minute can be deadly for them and dangerous for you.
For trailer training, horse identification and what to do if you can’t evacuate, see the horse section of our pet disaster preparedness guide.
Keeping Pets Calm Through a Long Outage
Days of darkness, cold or heat and a broken routine are stressful for pets. Keep feeding and walk times consistent, give them a quiet den with familiar bedding, and keep play and enrichment going with puzzle toys that don’t need power. For noise-sensitive or anxious dogs, some owners ask their veterinarian about calming support; Pet Wellbeing’s situational stress range includes Stress Gold, an herbal liquid for occasional high-stress events. Try any calming product before an emergency, and check with your vet first, especially if your dog takes other medication.
Your Grid-Failure Readiness Checklist
| Level | What you should have |
|---|---|
| 72 hours | Food, water and medications for three days, flashlights, a carrier and leash, a charged phone |
| One week | 7 to 10 days of food, seven days of water, a two-week medication supply, a battery radio, power banks, a CO detector, cash |
| Two weeks | Two weeks of food and water, a power station with solar charging, a prepared safe room, a medication cooling plan, a GPS tracker, an out-of-area destination and trigger points for leaving |
Recommended Grid-Down Gear for Pet Owners
- Portable power stations and portable solar panels, or a complete solar generator kit
- Battery-powered carbon monoxide detectors
- LED lanterns and rechargeable headlamps
- Airtight pet food storage containers and a manual can opener
- Collapsible bowls and a pet first aid kit
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I prepare my pets to go without power?
Plan for at least two weeks. Most outages are shorter, but grid failures like the 2021 Texas winter storm lasted days, and Hurricane Maria’s blackout in Puerto Rico lasted months for some communities.
What is the safest backup power for a home with pets?
A portable power station is the safest choice for indoor use because it produces no fumes. If you use a gas generator, run it outdoors at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, and use a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector.
How big a power station do I need for my pets?
Add up the watts of each device multiplied by the hours you’ll use it per day. A small fan, LED lights and phone charging might need around 400 watt-hours a day. Solar panels let you recharge during a long outage.
How do I keep my dog warm without electricity?
Keep your dog in a small, closed-off interior room with windows covered, layer bedding off the floor, and use self-warming beds, blankets and a dog coat. Never use unvented fuel-burning heaters or a running car in a garage for warmth.
What water should my pet drink during a boil water notice?
The CDC advises giving pets commercially bottled water or tap water boiled for one minute and cooled. Stored water is the most reliable option when you can’t boil.
When should I evacuate with my pets during a grid failure?
Leave if you can’t keep your pets at a safe temperature, water or critical medication is running out, a pet needs veterinary care that isn’t available, or officials advise leaving. Take your pets with you.
How much water does a horse need during a power outage?
An average 1,000-pound horse drinks about 10 to 12 gallons a day at rest, and that can double in hot, humid weather. Two weeks of water for one horse means roughly 140 to 170 gallons, or more in summer.
The Bottom Line
The lesson from Texas and Puerto Rico is that the grid can fail for far longer than most people expect. Two weeks of supplies, a safe backup power source, one well-prepared room and a clear plan for when to leave will carry most pets, and their people, safely through.
References and Further Reading
- NPR/WSKG: Texas Officials Put the Final Death Toll From Winter Storm Uri at 246
- KENS5: Winter Storm Uri, Three Years Later
- National Geographic: Puerto Rico After Hurricane Maria
- CDC: Avoiding Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- CDC: Drinking Water Advisories
- FDA: Insulin Storage in an Emergency
- ASPCA: Disaster Preparedness
- Oklahoma State University Extension: Water, the Most Important Nutrient
- Horses.extension.org: How Much Water Does a Horse Need?
- University of Georgia Extension: Horse Care Guidelines
- Washington State University Extension: Emergency Preparedness for Livestock
This article is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian. Follow instructions from your local emergency officials.