On December 19, 1973, American late night talk show host Johnny Carson made a joke that had some far-reaching unintended consequences. In his opening monologue, he quipped: “You know what’s disappearing from the supermarket shelves? Toilet paper. There’s an acute shortage of toilet paper in the United States.” The next morning tens of millions of his viewers went out and each bought dozens of rolls. This buying created a shortage, which lasted several weeks. More than just a bit of trivia, the 1973 toilet paper shortage illustrates the herd-like instincts of consumers, and just how easy it is to create a nationwide panic.
The difference between the toilet paper shortage of 1973 and today is that the Johnny Carson “run” didn’t begin until the next morning after the broadcast had aired. But we now live in the age of 24-hour-a-day supermarkets, and some gas stations operate 24-hour-a-day. There is now the potential for mass panic 24 hours a day. And to further exacerbate this, many folks now use Facebook and other social networking services. These have the potential to whip up a frenzy of activity, based on unsubstantiated rumors. In fact, we now live in the age of the Internet flash mob. And, by extension, this is also the age of flash runs on banks, or flash runs on grocery stores, or flash runs on gasoline. Even more ominous is the potential for flash freeway gridlock, in the event of rumors of an imminent terrorist attack on a major city with a Weapon of Mass Destruction .
What are the implication for all of the increased velocity of panic to preppers?
1.) It means that we can’t count on the opportunity to do any “last minute shopping.” All subsequent crises my be truly come-as-you-are events.
2.) It means that your window of opportunity to “Get Out of Dodge” (G.O.O.D.) in a crisis may be much smaller. You may have just 10 or 20 minutes to grab you Bug-Out Bags and Tote Bins, and throw them in your vehicle. If you hesitate, then you may find the freeways already jammed with traffic.
3.) It increases the chances of over-reaction by government officials. If there is widespread panic then it is likely that there will be widespread over-reaction. Read: Martial Law. Even if the interstate freeways are clear, you may not have access to them. As I’ve mentioned in SurvivalBlog several times before: If you have a prepared retreat that is across a state line, then I strongly urge you to have license plates on your car for your destination state, and have that state’s driver’s license in your pocket, preferably with an address listed for the town nearest to your retreat. If the Schumer hits the fan, then you want to be able to make it clear to law enforcement and military officers that you are attempting to get home. I realize that dual registration of vehicles can be costly, but I believe that it is prudent.
I urge SurvivalBlog readers to re-double your efforts to get your gear squared away, and well organized. As one of my consulting clients who lives in Atlanta, Georgia recently put it: “Mr. Rawles, I agree with you that I only expect one trip out of Dodge [to my retreat]. And if I wait just one hour to ‘evaluate the situation’, I’ll probably end up on foot.”
He is probably right. I urged him to stock the vast majority of his supplies at his retreat (a three hour drive out of Atlanta), and only keep at home what he could quickly fit in his vehicle in pre-packed clearly-marked tote bins and duffle bags.