It never ceases to amaze me when seeing the news reports of the panic buying going on before or after a storm or event. I could understand it if a person were under financial hardship but in many cases it's just lack of planning. Making a run for dairy products, bread and fresh produce is one thing. But when you see the runs on canned goods, toilet paper and dry dog food. One does begin to wonder. I always check the expire dates and just rotate things out. The kibble I buy is one of the better dry dog foods, with less preservatives and additives than the grocery store brands, and still has an expire date 9 to 10 months out.

People in general are living closer to the edge. A lot of middle class families into the 70s had a months income in the bank and a couple of weeks supplies in the pantry.

Presently a similar number are several thousand dollars in debt to their credit card company, are driving cars they owe money on, and living in a house they can't afford. And have been living beyond their means so long that they don't know any other way of getting by.

Ahh yes. My dad was one of those that had the rude awakening from the 6am civil defense sirens. Strangely enough that Costco was open that early. So he went off to Costco and did his shopping of food. I didn't tell him about the hidden reserve in my closet. I did a lot of prep work when they turned the tsunami advisory to a tsunami warning and that was 6 hours before the official word got at 6am. Around 3:30am I went to bed and woke up around 11am when the 2nd alert siren went off.
I turned on the TV and started eating a Cherrios like it was popcorn.

Oh I keep forgetting. Has anyone heard from Aloha?

Sometimes space is an issue. The containers for storing three week's of water for a family of four in preparation for a hurricane can be very bulky. There's a lot of plywood involved in protecting the house which is just a nuisance most years.

I admit that's rarely the problem for the hordes emptying shelves at the store, but it is an issue.

"The end of the world is easy to prepare for, it's all the stuff that'll happen between now and then that's got my attention."

Well put!

James_Van_A: for the space problem you mentioned, it would seem that one of those Water BOBs would be a good thing to have.

It fits in a standard bathtub, and you just fill it up. It would be good for hurricanes (assuming you were planning on sheltering in place, because you get some warning. Earthquakes, not so good.

Sue