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90 days without utilities

A major Wasatch Front earthquake could leave hundreds of thousands of Utah homes without safe tap water for three months. EERI Utah scenario (opens source in a new tab) Planning for months is different from planning for days: some things you can store, some you can't, and sometimes the plan is to leave.

Make my plan

Federal kit advice is written for several days on your own. Utah's own earthquake modeling runs much longer: in a magnitude 7.0 scenario on the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch fault, 332,800 households still have no safe tap water on day 90. This guide scales the basics up to months, and it's honest about what a household can and can't do. Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab) EERI Utah scenario (opens source in a new tab)

Why plan for months

  • In the FEMA-funded scenario for a magnitude 7.0 quake on the Salt Lake City segment, 483,600 households lose safe tap water on day 1, and 332,800 still have none on day 90. These numbers come from a computer model: they estimate one possible outcome, not a prediction. EERI Utah scenario (opens source in a new tab)
  • Power comes back much faster in the same model: 444,600 households lose electricity on day 1, 27,300 are still out on day 30, and 800 on day 90. Water, not power, is what stays out longest. EERI Utah scenario (opens source in a new tab)
  • A break in one of the large aqueducts (big water pipelines) that serve the Wasatch Front would probably take six months or longer to repair, because the parts have to be custom made. Utah Seismic Safety Commission (opens source in a new tab)
  • Having gas doesn't mean having heat: a gas furnace won't run without electricity for its thermostat and fan. EERI Utah scenario (opens source in a new tab)
  • Temporary housing probably won't be available right away, so families may have to fend for themselves longer than they expect, and a Utah winter makes that harder. EERI Utah scenario (opens source in a new tab)
  • Long outages happen. A Harvard-led survey after Hurricane Maria in 2017 found that Puerto Rico households went an average of 84 days without electricity and 68 days without water, counting only through the end of that year. The study tied about one-third of the deaths it estimated to delayed or interrupted medical care. Harvard FXB (opens source in a new tab) NEJM 2018 (opens source in a new tab)
  • Federal agencies also watch threats to the grid itself. NOAA says an extreme geomagnetic storm (space weather caused by activity on the sun) may make some grid systems collapse or black out and may damage transformers. In 2024, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported that the wait for a new large power transformer was commonly quoted at 36 months from ordering. Most transmission operators keep some spare transformers, and DOE estimates that a spare can be moved and switched on in about three to four weeks when the work is rushed. NOAA SWPC (opens source in a new tab) DOE (opens source in a new tab)
  • In October 2026, Fox News reported that the Pentagon's FORTRESS initiative would require every major military base in the continental U.S. to keep running without outside support for at least 90 days. As of Oct. 26, Snopes reported that the Pentagon hadn't confirmed the 90-day figure on the record. The reported plan is for military bases only; it isn't guidance for households. Fox News (opens source in a new tab) Snopes (opens source in a new tab)

Stay or go: decide before you need to

Staying warm in winter

  • Choose one warm room for everyone, ideally on the highest floor, with a low ceiling and south-facing windows. Block drafts with blankets or towels, but leave some fresh air. Inside that room, make a smaller, warmer sleeping space (a "nest") where everyone sleeps together. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • Heat only with equipment made for indoor use. Never use an outdoor or patio heater, grill, camp stove, or charcoal inside your home or in a garage. Never run a generator inside your home, garage, basement, crawlspace, or shed, or on a porch or in a carport: opening doors and windows won't let in enough fresh air to stop deadly carbon monoxide. CPSC (opens source in a new tab) CPSC (opens source in a new tab) CDC (opens source in a new tab) Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab)
  • Burning any fuel makes carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas you can't see or smell. Never heat your home with a gas oven or stovetop. CDC (opens source in a new tab) Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab) EPA (opens source in a new tab)
  • Wood stoves and fireplaces: have the chimney inspected every year. After an earthquake, have a professional inspect the fireplace or wood stove and its chimney before you light a fire, because hidden damage can cause a chimney fire or let poisonous gas into the house. Burn only dry, seasoned firewood (wood that was split and left to dry for at least six months), and never use gasoline, kerosene, or lighter fluid to start or relight a fire. Keep a sturdy screen in front of a fireplace. Open the fireplace damper (the flap in the chimney that lets smoke out) before you light a fire, and keep it open until the ashes are cool. Put cool ashes in a metal container kept away from the house. Never burn charcoal in a fireplace. CDC (opens source in a new tab) Cal Poly Humboldt (opens source in a new tab) EPA (opens source in a new tab) NFPA (opens source in a new tab) EPA (opens source in a new tab) Utah DEM (opens source in a new tab)
  • Utah's Division of Air Quality calls mandatory no-burn days when air pollution reaches unhealthy levels, usually in winter. They apply in Salt Lake and Davis counties, Cache Valley, and parts of Box Elder, Tooele, Utah, and Weber counties. On those days you can't use a wood-burning fireplace or a wood, pellet, or coal stove unless it's registered with the Division as your home's only source of heat. The rule doesn't cover gas fireplaces or other natural gas appliances. Before you light a fire, check the day's burn status on the UtahAir app, the Division's website, or local news, and have another way to stay warm. Utah DEQ (opens source in a new tab)
  • Indoor-rated propane heaters still burn fuel. Use one only with at least as much fresh air as its instructions call for, and turn it off before anyone goes to sleep. Its built-in oxygen sensor shuts the heater off if oxygen runs low, but it isn't a carbon monoxide alarm. Never bring a large propane tank indoors. EPA (opens source in a new tab) CPSC (opens source in a new tab) Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • Kerosene heaters: burn only clear 1-K kerosene, never gasoline, and refuel outdoors only after the heater is off and cool. Run it with the room's door open to the rest of the house. If you must close that door, or your home is newer and tightly built or has been sealed against drafts, also open an outside window about an inch. If it flares up, don't move it, cover it, or put water on it. If it has a shut-off switch, use it, and if the fire doesn't go out, get everyone out right away and call 911. CPSC (opens source in a new tab)
  • Put battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms on every level of your home and near every sleeping area, including your warm room. Check their batteries and keep spares. CDC (opens source in a new tab) Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab)
  • Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from any heater, and turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed. Make sure your smoke alarms have battery backup, and test them at least once a month. Keep a fire extinguisher near any room with a major heat source. NFPA (opens source in a new tab) Red Cross (opens source in a new tab) Utah Seismic Safety Commission (opens source in a new tab)
  • Know the signs of hypothermia. In adults: shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, slurred speech, and drowsiness. In babies: bright red, cold skin and very low energy. A body temperature below 95°F needs medical care right away. If you can't get help right away, move the person somewhere warm, take off wet clothing, and warm the center of the body (chest, neck, head, and groin) with skin-to-skin contact under loose, dry blankets. Warm drinks can help, but no alcohol, and never give a drink to someone who's unconscious. CDC (opens source in a new tab)
  • Older adults are at risk even in a cool house: the National Institute on Aging says indoor temperatures of 60 to 65°F can cause hypothermia in older adults. NIA (opens source in a new tab)
  • Never warm up in a running car inside a garage, even with the garage door open, and keep a running car's tailpipe clear of snow. A small leak in a car's exhaust system can let carbon monoxide build up inside the car, and carbon monoxide can kill people who are asleep before they have any symptoms. CDC (opens source in a new tab) NFPA (opens source in a new tab)

Staying cool in summer

Power: what backup can and can't do

Fuel: store less than you think, and store it safely

Water for 90 days

  • At 1 gallon per person per day, 90 days is 90 gallons per person, and that's a minimum. Utah's Division of Emergency Management says children, seniors, nursing mothers, people on medication or with health conditions, and pets need extra, and Utah's dry climate may call for more. For a family of four that's at least 360 gallons, about 3,000 pounds by our arithmetic, so store what you can and keep supplies to treat more. Utah DEM (opens source in a new tab) JVWCD (opens source in a new tab)
  • Utah's Division of Emergency Management says start with a 14-day supply and work up to 30 days. Utah DEM (opens source in a new tab)
  • Your home's pipes may hold 20 to 40 gallons of clean water, and a water heater about 40 more. After an earthquake, shut your main water valve so this water stays clean even if the public supply isn't, and assume a boil order is in effect until officials say otherwise. Before using the water heater's water, turn off its gas or power as its manual says and let the water cool, then drain it from the spigot at the bottom. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab) JVWCD (opens source in a new tab)
  • If water is cloudy, let it settle, then filter it through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter. Boil it at a rolling boil for at least 1 minute, or 3 minutes above 5,000 feet. If you can't boil, use regular unscented bleach less than a year old: 8 drops of 6% (or 6 drops of 8.25%) per gallon, doubled for cloudy, colored, or very cold water. Stir and wait 30 minutes; the water should smell slightly of chlorine, and if it doesn't, add the same dose again and wait 15 more minutes. EPA (opens source in a new tab)
  • To remove parasites, a portable filter needs an absolute pore size (the size of its holes) of 1 micron or smaller. Filters don't remove viruses, so disinfect filtered water too. CDC (opens source in a new tab)
  • Boiling or disinfecting can't make water safe if it contains fuel, toxic chemicals, or radioactive material. Use another source, and ask your health department for advice. CDC (opens source in a new tab)
  • Don't drink pool, hot tub, or waterbed water even after treatment, and use toilet-tank water only for flushing and cleaning. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • Utah law lets you collect rainwater without registering in up to two covered containers of 100 gallons or less each, or up to 2,500 gallons with free registration, for use on the same property. Utah Code (opens source in a new tab) Utah Water Rights (opens source in a new tab) Like any water of unknown safety, treat it before drinking. EPA (opens source in a new tab)
  • Half an inch of rain on a 20-by-40-foot roof yields about 175 gallons. USU Extension (opens source in a new tab)
  • After a disaster, listen for instructions from officials, who may tell you where to get water and other supplies. Keep clean containers you can carry, because some distribution sites fill only the containers people bring. Utah Seismic Safety Commission (opens source in a new tab) EPA (opens source in a new tab)
  • Outside help takes time: Salt Lake City Emergency Management estimates that after a magnitude 7.0 quake on the Salt Lake City segment, it will be at least 96 hours before resources from outside the area begin to arrive. SLC Emergency Management (opens source in a new tab)
  • A private well stops when its pump loses power; have a licensed electrician set up any generator hookup. Virginia Dept. of Health (opens source in a new tab)

Sanitation when sewers fail

  • After an earthquake, don't flush or pour anything down drains until you know the sewer lines are safe. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • Use a two-bucket toilet. The first bucket has no bag and is only for urine. The second is only for solid waste: line it with two heavy-duty plastic bags, put a one-inch layer of kitty litter in the bottom, and cover the waste with about two cups of litter after each use. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • Wear disposable gloves, eye protection, and a mask whenever you handle full bags of waste. Never dump waste in streams, canals, or anywhere water may flow, and never leave it on the ground. Bury waste only if you have a safe spot at least 200 feet from any water supply or living area, and never in a garden. Dig the hole 2.5 to 3 feet deep. Open each bag, empty it into the hole, put the empty bag in too, and cover it with dirt. Between uses, cover the hole with boards and heavy objects to keep animals and children out. When the waste is about a foot from the top, stop using that hole and fill it with dirt. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • If you can't bury waste safely, or the ground is frozen, store the closed bags for a short time instead. Use a garbage can of 30 gallons or less with a tight lid, and strap the lid down with rope or bungee cords. Keep the can outside or in a garage, fastened to a strong post, tree, or other sturdy structure so it can't be knocked over. Ask your local health department how to get rid of the stored bags. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • Keep at least three months of toilet paper, menstrual products, and diapers. Be Ready Utah (opens source in a new tab)
  • Wash hands with soap and clean water for at least 20 seconds, and set up a handwashing station with a large jug of water. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol only when you can't wash. CDC (opens source in a new tab) CDC (opens source in a new tab)
  • If your septic system has a pump, the pump stops when the power goes out. Virginia's health department says most such systems should have room for only about 100 to 200 gallons above the high-water alarm, and going past that can spill raw sewage, so use as little water as you can. Virginia Dept. of Health (opens source in a new tab)

Food and cooking

Health and medicine

  • Ask your doctor and your insurance plan about 90-day supplies now. In Utah, a pharmacist may fill a prescription and one or more of its refills at the same time, up to a 100-day supply in all. This doesn't apply to controlled substances; ask your pharmacist whether any of your medicines are controlled. Utah Code (opens source in a new tab)
  • Utah's emergency refill rule is narrow. If your prescriber can't be reached quickly, a pharmacist may give one emergency refill of a medicine you already take, but only as much as the emergency requires. If that pharmacy has the prescription on file, it can give more than a 3-day supply only if the prescription has no refills left or expired in the past 30 days. Even then, it can't give more than a 30-day supply or your last fill there, whichever is less. The rule doesn't cover controlled substances; ask your pharmacist whether any of your medicines are controlled. Utah Code (opens source in a new tab)
  • Insulin: if your insulin prescription has no refills left or expired within the past six months, a Utah pharmacist can give a one-time emergency supply of up to 60 days. Insulin in its original vial or cartridge can stay out of the refrigerator for up to 28 days at 59 to 86°F. Keep it as cool as you can without letting it freeze, and away from direct heat and sunlight; don't use insulin that froze. If it got hotter than 86°F and you can't replace it, you may still need to use it until you can. Utah Code (opens source in a new tab) FDA (opens source in a new tab)
  • If the power is out for more than a day, medicine that needs refrigeration should generally be replaced unless its label says otherwise; ask a pharmacist or doctor. But don't throw away a medicine you need to stay alive, like insulin, if you can't replace it quickly: FDA says it may be used until you get a new supply. Ready.gov (opens source in a new tab) FDA (opens source in a new tab)
  • Powered medical equipment: ask the company that supplies it whether it can run on batteries or a generator, and about a backup that doesn't need electricity, such as oxygen cylinders. Keep spare batteries and a car charger, and plan where you'd go. Never plug an oxygen concentrator into an extension cord. Don't lower your oxygen flow to make your batteries or oxygen last longer unless your doctor says it's OK. American Lung Association (opens source in a new tab) FDA (opens source in a new tab) American Lung Association (opens source in a new tab) Oxygen makes things burn more easily. Keep heaters, stoves, fireplaces, and any other heat or flame at least five feet from where oxygen is used or stored, and don't cook on a gas stove while you're using oxygen. American Lung Association (opens source in a new tab)
  • Dialysis centers may close without power or water. Learn the 3-Day Emergency Diet, a strict diet for when you miss treatments; it doesn't replace dialysis, so always try to get dialysis within three days of your last treatment. ESRD Network 15 (Comagine Health), the End Stage Renal Disease network for Utah and five nearby states, can tell you where to find dialysis facilities: 1-800-262-1514. CMS (opens source in a new tab)
  • Don't make the hospital your only backup plan: Utah modeling of a magnitude 7 Salt Lake quake estimated only about 38% of hospital beds would be available on the day of the quake. In an emergency, still call 911. UGS (opens source in a new tab)
  • Months of disaster stress are real. The Disaster Distress Helpline is toll-free and open 24/7: call or text 1-800-985-5990 (standard text message rates apply). Calls to 988 from Utah reach the Utah Crisis Line. SAMHSA (opens source in a new tab) Huntsman Mental Health (opens source in a new tab)

Light, news, and staying in touch

Money and daily life

Neighbors and community

Protecting the house