When SHTF the survivalist groups barely batted an eye over COVID-19. Everyone else… on the other hand:
Yarrow said that the hoarding of food items makes sense psychologically. As humans feel threatened or anxious, our first instinct is to gain some sort of control over the situation.
“People are resorting to the only action they feel like they can, which is stockpiling,” she said.
And it’s not just for ourselves. Yarrow said that some people who have to care for children, their own parents or animals are being driven by a sense of guilt to hoard more items.
“It’s guilt avoidance,” she said. ”‘I better get more than I need because the consequences if I don’t are too horrible to imagine.’”
No one wants to run out of food or cleaning supplies while trying to take care of others, she said.
In addition to food supplies, people have been purchasing gloves, soap, diapers, water filters and jugs, bidets and painter’s tape, according to data analysis by Thinknum of Amazon sales from late January through the second week of March.
“I think people are anxious and people feel that this an unsafe world right now,” Yarrow said.
It’s why they have begun stockpiling items that protect against the virus, as well as items that would protect them against other people; there has been a rise in purchases of security cameras and guns.
“Unsurprisingly, nondiscretionary or essential categories such as food, household products, personal care and health products saw the biggest jump,” Deborah Weinswig, CEO and founder, Coresight Research, wrote in a research note Friday about the impact of the coronavirus on consumers.
“More than one-third of all respondents reported buying more food and/or more household products,” she said of Coresight’s survey of more than 1,000 people March 17-18.
An interesting article from Fox (surprising, I know) had some prepper justification. It was aptly titled “Preppers, once mocked, say they were ready for coronavirus crisis“:
Across the U.S., “preppers” have been planning for an event like the coronavirus pandemic for years.
Now, as a run on toilet paper and necessary supplies have created vast lines and panic in our nation’s supermarkets and stores, some are able to sit back and relax — while being humble enough to avoid saying “I told you so.”
“We’re not laughing. We’re not saying ‘I told you so,’ when people are out there fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizers,” said Ohio resident Paul Buescher.
With the truest statement we can note out of this article:
“The apocalypse is not a thing that’s going to happen,” she said, according to AL.com. “But if you think about being prepared for the zombie apocalypse, you’re probably going to be prepared for the coronavirus.”
The Survivalist and Preppers Guide For COVID-19
Shocking: the prepping items and survivalist skills you need to be prepared are rather static across the potential catastrophes. Whether we prepare for an apocalypse, governmental collapse, or pandemic is irrelevant.
The fact is we’re prepared and these panic buying Americans aren’t. Maybe the people that called preppers crazy before will now take a different stance on the matter.
Since we all now know that COVID is a big nothingburger, what lessons can we take away from this minor sh*tshow?
Simple. You should have adequate reserves of:
- Food
- Water
- Shelter
- Basic handy knowledge
- Essential medicine
- Rainy day cash
- First aid materials
- Defensive items (gun, ammo, knife, etc)
- Disinfectant
- Child care items
Along with a metric ton of toilet paper and a gas mask, oddly.
The biggest insight, however, is to actually prepare in the first place.
If you want to cover everything you should read:
Over 150 Survival and Prepping Items You Should Stock
If you enjoyed this article, bookmark the website and check back often for new content. New articles most weekdays.
You can also keep up with my writing by joining my monthly newsletter.
Help fight the censorship – Share this article!
