Are You Not ​​​​​​​Entertained?

The Best Ways to Help Young and Old Minds Relax During a Disaster.

- Jim Cobb

An often-overlooked aspect of disaster planning is boredom relief. There are many disaster scenarios that would involve a fair amount of down time. The power goes out during a blizzard, and suddenly, only the second half of “Netflix and chill” is an option. It won’t take long before the kids are climbing the walls, too.

Here’s the thing: Boredom isn’t just an annoyance. It can lead to a variety of issues, such as a short temper and an excess of nervous energy; conversely, it can make you tired and lethargic. None of these situations is helpful in the wake of a crisis. While food, water and other supplies are certainly important elements in your disaster plan, don’t overlook stocking up on things to do when binge-watching the latest season of Alone isn’t a viable option.

GAMES

Board games are tried and true options for the proverbial rainy day. Many families have at least a few of them kicking around, such as Monopoly and Risk, and maybe even a dusty box of Chutes and Ladders or Candyland. Today is a good time to break out all those games and go through the boxes. Make sure all the pieces are present and accounted for, rather than finding out later that someone appears to have made off with every single pair of dice in the house.

You can often find used board games at very cheap prices at thrift stores, flea markets and rummage sales. Just be sure to check the contents. Anything that is missing can usually be found online, either through the manufacturer or occasionally on eBay. Of course, playing pieces or tokens can be improvised, if need be.