Luckily, Gainesville did not experience the craziness of Hurricane Matthew. Although I reveled in the hourly parent texts and the lack of not just water at Walmart, but also wine, it was nice to just sit in my bed all day with just the sound of rain outside my window. Preparing for the hurricane, however, involved some extensive messages from concerned parents like, "make sure you buy water and canned food, fill up your bathtub in case you don't have water, and don't forget about batteries!"
1. Looking frantically for water
Thankfully, I still had water from the last hurricane. I still have this water so hopefully it lasts until the next one! However, some people searched frantically and ran from Walmart to Publix to Winn-Dixie and even checked gas stations at the last minute.
2. Loving the fact that wine and beer are the first things to go
I always laugh during hurricane season because a college student's go-to hurricane snacks are wine and chips because let's face it none of us ever think the hurricane is going to be that bad. Whenever you walk into Walmart for the next hurricane compare the wine aisle to the water aisle and you'll see they're both basically nonexistent.
3. Remember to put gas in your car!
Everyone always says to remember to fill up your tank in case you need to go somewhere when the roads clear up. Let's face it, if I had lost power I would've definitely gone to Tallahassee because there was no way I was sitting in this infernal heat.
4. Charge all electronics
Not only did I have to make sure my phone was charged 24/7, but also my laptop, iPad and all other portable chargers. This was all just in case I had lack of communication during the hurricane, which thankfully wasn't necessary this time around.
5. Fill your bathtub with water
My mother always tells me to fill up my bathtub with water which can become a hassle when the hurricane lasts 24 hours so I can't take a shower or using the restroom during this time for fear of losing water.
6. Stock your pantry with non-perishables
My pantry always gets filled with canned vegetables, beans and a bunch of snacks. I am so thankful I haven't had to live off these for a week like some people. I remember when I ate only soup for almost a week when I get my wisdom teeth out and I don't need to start hating another canned good again.
7. Bread and Nutella are essential
If worst comes to worst, there are loaves of bread and cans of peanut butter and Nutella just in case. These are the absolute best things to have around because who hates peanut butter and Nutella?
8. Eat as much out of the freezer as possible
The night before the supposed hurricane, I was trying to cook the biggest frozen packages I had in the freezer, for fear of everything getting damaged. Now I have a bunch of leftover ground turkey and chicken for the next few days.
9. Stock up on your favorite books and movies
This one is super important because with so many hours of hurricane watch that means you are bound to run out of things to do. Make sure you have enough DVDs to get by because WiFi is not guaranteed! Also, books are important too just try and read during the day in case electricity goes out too.
10. Attempt to not die of boredom
This is basically speaks to me by the end of the day Friday. I was bored out of my mind of sitting in my apartment. I had binge-watched like seven different shows and they were all boring me. I had read a book, watched two movies and studied for my exam. I even started drawing but nothing seemed to fix my boredom or lack of sunlight.
