TOD:
I have dealt with power outages of a long duration twice in my adult life (none before).
First, I was living in a nice villa in Naples, Italy, and came home one day to find no power. That wasn't unusual at that time, because the usage in the summer was greater than the supply at hand. We had minor outages or brownouts. But as the evening wore on, the power did not return. I figured it would be back on the next day, but when I got home, there was nothing. I visited my landlord and was told that the "power people" had come by and told them I had not paid my bill. Thing was, I never got a bill. I didn't even have a mailbox. So, I had to visit the Navy housing office the next day (all housing on the "economy" is negotiated through that office) to set it all up. They found out how much I owed, I bought the lira and visited the electric company's office on my way home. I paid. Still, power was not restored until the next day. From then on, I was billed through the housing office and all went well.
The second time was this past September when Hurricane Helene blasted her way up through the southeastern states. My power went off at around 3 a.m. on a Friday morning and was not restored until mid-afternoon on the following Sunday. Two and a half days, roughly. I had candles. I also had a small generator that I used to keep my phone charged. After that experience, I purchased two large indoor generators (wih solar screens for recharging) to offset future surprises. I was very fortunate. Some power in my county was restored only after a month or so.
