By Sarah Lemos

Over a decade has passed since South Florida was struck by a hurricane with such great power, leaving citizens to scramble for emergency supplies and nonperishable food, but it’s not all woeful— whether or not you are lucky enough to keep power during the storm, there are some things you can do to pass the time.

Keeping the risk of the lights going out on your mind, be sure to have all your gadgets charged. There’s no telling how long the power might be off so charge everything from that old Gameboy you have to an MP3 player or even a DVD player that you can watch a movie on.

Gather all your favorite DVDs— you can watch all the old Halloween movies that you loved as a kid, this hurricane is taking place in October after all, so sit back, relax, and watch the classics like The Addams Family, Hocus Pocus, Casper, and maybe marathon the Halloweentown Disney series.

Also, catch up on the homework that would have been due this Thursday or Friday. If you still have electricity, do any online assignments first just in case. You can also check out some cool blogs or just surf the internet before you lose power. If your luck runs out and the power does go out, do as your ancestors did and use candles (although you do now have the option of battery-powered light sources) so you can do paper work.

Take advantage of the kitchen’s power and build up a stock of cooked foods that won’t spoil quickly without a running refrigerator. Use the items you already have in your refrigerator so they won’t go bad if power is lost.

Essentially, take advantage of your electricity to charge your electronics, get the house cool with air conditioning, and cook up some meals with your kitchen stove or oven. Now if worse comes to worse and the power is out all throughout your neighborhood, do not panic, just make the most of it.

Hopefully you have some flashlights and batteries, but if you don’t, light some candles around the house and take the time to relax with your family.

Take out some board games like Scrabble or Monopoly, take turns on that old Gameboy with your siblings— if you are willing.

Redecorate your room, organize your closet, make an indoor fort, read a book, draw, and listen to your favorite music. You can write in a journal, play dress up, or tell scary stories in that awesome fort you made.

There is an endless list of things to do before and during a power outage during this storm, you just have to think outside of the box. Make some good memories and don’t let Hurricane Matthew be a bully and ruin your time. Stay safe and good luck.