During the past few weeks, groceries, supermarkets and pharmacies in many parts of the country have low inventory on certain items. Some of which were the consequences of panic buying, stockpiling or hoarding of certain goods or items. This is a peculiar effects in the face of a crisis that can drive up prices and take essential goods out of the hands of people who need them most like the elderly, indigent or people with disabilities.
In fact, This happened last during the few days after the Taal Volcano eruption last January 2020 in which surgical mask were almost wiped out even in wholesale stores like those in Bambang or Tayuman in Manila.
10 Must Have Items
10.) Cash– Try to withdraw a small amount of cash. Cash on hand during an epidemic is a must. There’s a high probability that banks may take a long break as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19. Not all establishments accepts credit/debit cards nor E-cash.
9.) Farm produce (perishable foods)– Meats, fishes, root crops, vegetables and raw fruits- Buy your fresh farm produce like eggs, vegetables, meats and fruits now, as they wont last long without refrigeration. The current power interruptions may actually lead to brownouts or even blackouts if manpower (maintenance) dwindles.
8.) (Disposable) Gears- Masks, gloves and raincoats/suits – These will somehow provide “some” protection to you and other people around you. When you cough or sneezes while wearing a mask, it will somehow prevent the droplets of your saliva to spray further to other surfaces or people. (plastic) Gloves, can come in handy when cleaning and touching possible infected items. Wear raincoats if you are walking below high-rise structures. This will protect you from possible “droplets” (people spitting from buildings) falling on to your head.
7.) Communication and “Juice” – Batteries, Power banks, solar/rechargeable radio, flashlights, emergency lights- In case of power outages, It is good to have a fully charged stockpile of power banks and a couple of batteries. Having some kind of a solar charging device is also more advantageous than just having batteries. We need electricity to charge everything from cellphones, lights and other devices. Don’t forget to buy spare LPG/propane tanks for cooking and for those with deep pockets, solar energy (or hybrid with wind power) is the best option.
6.) Tissue papers, Table napkins,Paper towels, Wet wipes,– Tissue paper’s purpose is not just limited to wiping butts. Tissues can be use for cleaning surfaces, When used properly while sneezing, they can help reduce the travel distance of sprayed saliva droplets. It is also an excellent “brown matter” in your compost bin. Cheaper and “greener” version of “paper towels” because they deteriorate easily.
Also, keep in mind that almost all “wet wipes” brands are not biodegradable. They will just end up in our landfill and stay there for a very long time.
5.) Alcohol, Hand sanitizers, cleaning agents- disinfectants, deodorants, soaps and bleach– This is for killing germs and viruses. Helps prevent or minimize the spread of harmful bacteria.
4.) Medicines, vitamins and supplements – Having enough vitamins or supplements to help boost the immune system of the body is a must. Other people with maintenance medicines like diabetes and heart ailments, have at least 1 month stockpile of your prescriptions . Some pharmacy might have limited stocks of some medicines.
3.) (Dry goods-Food) Rice, instant noodles , coffee, milk (powdered), pasta, beans, dried fish etc. – Rice is is the main staple food in the country, many Filipinos cannot live without “eating” rice. The reason why we ranked rice in #3 is because “rice” needs water and it needs to be cooked. All of the dry goods (mentioned above) needs boiling water or fire to be edible. We need fire to cook.
If things go south, we might ran out of propane/Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) in cities many use electricity too. All these basic stuff may all ran out.
2.) (Ready to eat ) Canned goods, instant foods, honey, biscuits /crackers, nuts.
As i mentioned above, having “ready to eat” foods is and will always be the best survival food. You can be mobile while filling your stomach. We don’t even have to waste energy in starting fire and cooking. One can also save water because we can skip the use of pots and pans.
1.)Water– Water is Life! We can’t survive without drinking water for 3 days!
These are just the basic necessities needed in order to survive a pandemic or natural calamities.
Filed under: Food, shopping | Tagged: Coronavirus, Covid 2019, Grocery, Pandemic, Prepper, Prepping, rice |
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