30 days without power in a flat: the phase-by-phase protocol

By Luis Antón · Published 12 November 2026

A blackout of a few hours is a nuisance. One that lasts days is something else: the fridge warms up, water stops reaching the taps, phones die and the whole building changes pace. This protocol sets out what to do and when, phase by phase, to last up to a month in a flat without depending on anyone.

If you’re looking for something shorter, start with the one-week blackout kit.

Before you go on: if you don’t have the 72-hour kit yet, start there. This protocol assumes you do.

Phase 0 · The first 6 hours

What you do at the start decides how the following days will go.

• Fill the bath and several buckets. While there’s still pressure in the pipes, every litre counts. It’s water for the toilet and washing up, not for drinking.
• Keep the fridge and freezer closed. Don’t open them except for something essential.
• Unplug sensitive devices. Computer, TV and large appliances: there may be surges when the power returns.
• Turn on the radio. It’s the only reliable source when mobile data goes down.
• Put your phone in extreme power-saving mode. Minimum brightness, data only when needed.
• Check on elderly neighbours or anyone who depends on an electrical device.

Phase 1 · Days 1 to 3

You live off the kit: bottled water, food that needs no fridge, head torch and power bank. Two rules:

• Eat the fridge food first, then the freezer food and finally the tins.
• Ration the battery, not the food. The power bank is for communication and light, not entertainment.

How long food lasts without power

After that, meat, fish, dairy and leftovers go in the bin. If in doubt, throw it out: food poisoning with no hospital nearby is the last thing you need.

Phase 2 · Week 1: power and sanitation

If the cut goes beyond three days, the problem is no longer light but power for the essentials and the toilet.

Power: a power station for the essentials

With a 1 kWh portable battery you can keep LED lights, phones, the radio and a laptop going for days. If there’s a fridge with medicines or medical equipment at home, it’s the difference between coping and not coping.

The toilet with no water

With no pressure, the cistern doesn’t fill. With the water from the bath you can flush the toilet by pouring in a bucket in one go. When that runs out, the solution is a bag inside the bowl with an absorbent (cat litter or sawdust), tied up and taken out of the flat.

Rubbish and hygiene

• Take out organic waste daily and tie it up well.
• Wet wipes, hand sanitiser and measured water for washing.
• Wash up with as little water as possible: paper plates for the first few days.

Phase 3 · Weeks 2 to 4: self-sufficiency

If the cut drags on, the key is recharging: nothing you have stored lasts a month unless new energy comes in.

Solar charging from the balcony

A 100-200 W foldable panel facing south recharges the power station on a sunny day. You don’t need an installation or your community of owners’ permission: it unfolds on the balcony and is packed away at night.

Food for weeks

After the first few days you need a real pantry: rice, pasta, dried pulses, oil, tins, UHT milk and nuts. Everything you already eat, in quantity. Rotate it in daily use so it never expires.

Cold and heat

• Winter: gather the family in a single room, close off the rest of the flat, use sleeping bags and layers. No braziers or gas heaters in enclosed spaces. More in how to heat your flat without electricity.
• Summer: shutters down during the day, windows open at night, plenty of water and avoid the hottest hours.

Routine, neighbours and state of mind

• Keep regular times for meals and sleep. Daylight sets the day.
• Organise with your neighbours: who has a battery, who needs help, who carries water up for the elderly.
• A family meeting point in case phones fail completely (see the family plan).
• Books, cards, board games. A month without screens feels very long without them.

Protocol checklist

Sources: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (food storage during power cuts); Protecció Civil, Generalitat de Catalunya (self-protection and 72 hours of self-sufficiency).