Keep Busy During Hurricanes

For Americans who live in the Southeast, hurricanes are a part of life. While hurricane seasons have become stronger in the past decade, they have always been part of life in this part of the country for a long time. While most of the focus is on how to prepare for the hurricane to ensure proper hygiene, water, and food, it’s important to be able to keep yourself—and your kids!—occupied while you’re waiting out the storm. Check out these ideas:

Get everyone a deck of cards.

Whether it’s Solitaire, Garbage, or Texas Hold ‘Em, a deck of cards can mean hours of fun. Pick up a card game book to give you ideas before the storm or go with simple games like “Go Fish” afterward.

Have books of crosswords, Sudoku, or other puzzle books.

When you are building your family’s storm preparedness plans, factor in some puzzle books. Pick up a few from a dollar store, and with less than $10, you have something to keep you busy. Just don’t forget the pencils!

Go old-school with 20 questions, I-Spy, etc.

Have one person choose an item and the others figure it out with 20 yes or no questions. Have one person say “I Spy with my little eye…” and give some ideas.

Find something to read.

Whether you live in a family with tons of books or have some magazines available, you can spend some time during your post-storm waiting or power outage connecting with any text you have.

Take a walk.

After a storm, the neighborhood is calm. Take some time to walk around. Check out anything that is different before and after the storm and also take some time to enjoy your surroundings.

Write letters to your friends & family.

If you have greeting cards, that’s great. If you don’t, no worries! Get some paper and a pen and write a letter to a family member. Maybe you want to update your grandparents about your life, or you could talk to your cousin about how you can connect with each other after the storm. Spending some time writing to your family during the storm can help you feel more connected to your world.

Come up with a story—a word at a time!

“I,” “believe,” “bears,”...keep going! One of the interesting ways people can kill some time during a power outage is to make up a story one word at a time. Get together in a circle with your family. Each person says a word, and the person after says another word. The story can take interesting turns and is likely to lead to interesting—and often hilarious—conclusions.

Clean out a cabinet—or complete another home project.

Look, going through the kitchen cabinets or hanging pictures on the wall don’t take electricity. They’re tasks that we often have on our “to do” lists for ages. After a hurricane comes through, these projects can get completed while you’re waiting for life to get back to normal.

Play charades—or other physical games.

Acting out movies & books, holding a hula hoop contest, or playing hopscotch are just a few ways to get in physical activity after a storm. Don’t be afraid to go back a few decades to come up with some ideas!

Plan a family event.

Make you’ve considered hosting a Thanksgiving for friends, and you could want to have a Mardi Gras party. While you have no other distractions, planning these events can be a great way to spend an hour of your power outage time.

While these activities only scratch the surface of what your family can go after a hurricane and while you’re without power, they should give you some ideas on how to begin to spend time together after a disaster strikes.