Picture this- people everywhere.You shout after discovering that all the water on the shelves of your local pharmacy has disappeared. You whine in agony as you wait in a never-ending line of people. You see everyone with calloused, cold hands carrying heavy baskets piled high with a little too much. You silently cry when you discover that the Krispy Kreme donuts are all gone. But you still manage to find enough snacks, filling your pantry with a food supply that could last you for months. This picture I am painting for you is what anyone goes through in preparation for a hurricane.

Even though I am no expert, because Hurricane Matthew was not really a "hurricane" in Miami, here is what I have learned.

Prepare for the worst

Think- what would you want if you were stranded on an island? No wifi, no sources of electricity, no way to charge your electronics, no way of finding food or water. This is a bit overexaggerated but it's human nature for people to worry and think the worst. So first, hit your local supermarket and stock up on water, chargers (portable), and just about anything you would want to eat in case it's your last meal at any point. Don't go for the microwavable meals or Ramen because god forbid you lose electricity. Pringles, pop-tarts, cookies, potato chips, gummy candy, chocolate- get it all. And get 2 or 3 of everything because you can never have enough food right?

Find people to suffer with

Although I did not "suffer" because I didn't truly live through a hurricane, still finding people to spend time with is key. No one wants to experience anything traumatic alone. The power could go out, you could lose all sorts of entertainment, and what better way to be entertained than to have good company? You could light some candles and take out those good 'ole board games stuffed in a corner of your living room full of dust and memories. Who knew a fun time could consist of good snacks, good company, and a nice game of Monopoly?

Don't even think about opening that bag of chips now...

My theory is if you have so much food, you're always inclined to eat more. And when you stock up on tons of food it's so tempting to eat it all at once. Don't. Don't eat everything before the storm even hits because before you know it, you'll actually need the food, but you will have already eaten every last potato chip crumb. And soon, you will have wasted your money and put on tons of weight before needing the food. Your stomach will be growling and all you have to blame is yourself.

Charge everything

You never know when the power will go out, if it even does. So charge everything. Charge your phone, charge your portable charger, and when that's done charging, charge another portable charger. Charge your laptop, charge your i-pad. There is never too much to charge. If you charge enough, you'll be entertained for quite awhile.

Lastly, Stay calm

Most of the time these hurricanes are over-hyped in some places. Hurricane Matthew was devastatingly destructive to Haiti, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida. But it did not strike Miami. So there is always a possibility that what you think might come won't come. Even though this was a possibility for me, I still prepared myself, but stayed calm, hoping for the best possible outcome. Sometimes you can be lucky, sometimes unlucky, but it never hurts to be prepared.