Top 50 things to disappear from store shelves during an emergency

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Go grocery shopping on Sunday night, after the weekend rushes, and you’ll notice immediately that many items are low. Go to a store just prior to a storm, and you’ll see packed checkout lanes, frantic shoppers and confusion. Since most stores only have about three-to-four  days – tops – inventory, you can see the problem during an emergency. Guest writer Tom Sciacca discusses the top list of things you need to stock up on. – Leon

by Tom Sciacca

Have you ever noticed how, whenever a big storm is predicted, people start rushing to stores to clean them out of every food item and supply they have on the shelves? In one sense, it’s probably good that they are trying to anticipate the emergency, despite

being last-minute about it. It sure beats those people who don’t bother to prepare at all, then complain when emergency services are overwhelmed by requests for assistance.

But why panic in the first place? Why not have a stash of necessary items always ready for such an emergency? Even if there isn’t a storm approaching, it’s nice to know you don’t have to rush out to the store every time you run out of toilet paper. Keeping some extra around the house is always a good idea!

With this in mind, I decided to ask CampingSurvival.com’s Facebook fans what they felt were the emergency supplies that stores were most likely to run out of when people start to panic. Then I compiled the top comments in various categories so I could share it. Since this list is based on the comments of our Facebook fan page, some of the items (canned meat, for instance) may not be the absolute first things for a store to run out of, but are still items that you should consider having among your emergency supplies nonetheless.

Without further ado, here the list of the Top 50 Things to Disappear from Store Shelves during an Emergency, compiled by yours truly:

FOOD
1. Bread
2. Butter
3. Cereal
4. Coffee
5. Eggs
6. Flour
7. Fruit, canned and fresh
8. Honey
9. Meats, canned
10. Milk
11. Peanut butter
12. Pet food
13. Salt
14. Sugar
15. Vegetables, canned and root vegetables
16. Water

POWER AND LIGHT

17. Batteries
18. Candles
19. Charcoal
20. Coolers
21. Flashlights
22. Gasoline
23. Generators
24. Glow sticks
25. Ice
26. Lamp oil and oil lanterns
27. Lighter fluid
28. Matches
29. Propane, propane stoves

FUN
30. Alcohol, drinking
31. Beer
32. Cigarettes
33. Condoms

FIRST AID
34. Alcohol, rubbing
35. Antiseptic
36. Aspirin/pain relievers
37. Cold medicine
38. First aid kits

HYGIENE
39. Feminine hygiene products
40. Paper plates/napkins
41. Shampoo
42. Soap
43. Toilet paper

BABIES
44. Baby food/formula
45. Diapers

IMPROVISATION
46. Duct tape
47. Plastic bags
48. Plywood
49. Radios
50. Rope

Now, before you file this away as mildly interesting reading, take this list and compare it to what you have stocked up. Check to see what you may be missing or what you need more of. And don’t forget that this is only a Top 50 list, so there are plenty of other items that I don’t have space to talk about in this (already long!) post.

Feel free to offer feedback on our Facebook page and, as always, stay aware andprepared.

Tom Sciacca is a former U.S. Marine, a veteran of the Gulf War, a survival enthusiast and President of CampingSurvival.com.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com