I noticed early in the COVID crisis that toilet paper was disappearing. At first, it just seemed like the usual storm preparations. Families stocked up on food provisions because we knew our regular routines of ordering in and eating out would be disrupted. But quickly, pharmacy shelves were emptied and all six stores around my neighborhood were totally cleaned out of all toilet paper – from the expensive to the really thin (useless) kind.
Friends laughed at my observations – until economists started scratching their heads, too. There was no logical reason for it. Governors communicated that residents would be permitted to leave home to shop for food and necessities. The virus does not have symptoms that would require an unusual toilet paper usage. There was no crack in the supply chain that would have prevented regular and normal deliveries. Yet the hoarding began. As more people saw the stock-outs in stores, they themselves started grabbing it whenever and wherever they found it. Where there is no plan, there is panic. The fight or flight response occurs in humans when our brain perceives danger, a harmful event, or threat to survival. If this danger is a new event, the brain has no ready responses and therefore ‘wings it’ (my non-medical term). Some brains are better spontaneous performers than others. Furthermore, if a group of people are perceiving this danger together – then the mob mentality behavior also applies. Faced with COVID-19 lockdowns, many reacted with fear impulses instead of productive action. Give your brain a plan to execute. Don’t we all want to believe that in an emergency ours will be the voice of calm directing others to safety? And wouldn’t it be great to really know what to do? It doesn’t take the ability to climb walls, lift cars, or fly. What it does entail is spending some time, in a period of calm and safety, examining events that could occur and what is most important to you. Don’t go down the rabbit hole of ‘what are the chances of’. Put everything on the table. If you never need it, great. But if you do need it, for you and those you love, it will be priceless. Americans are terribly underprepared for disasters.
60% of Americans don’t have an emergency cash stash
44% do not have first aid kits
63% of those previously effected by floods do not have Go-Bags
Only 39% have discussed emergency plans
These sobering stats, and helping my parents recover from a house fire, inspired me to create a business customizing emergency readiness plans. Too difficult to navigate through disaster claims and recovery? Benefit from an advocate. Too overwhelmed to research appropriate information? Use a specialist who designs a plan for your specific needs. Too busy to figure how to put it all together? Engage someone who gets it done.
Knowing what to do in an emergency and how to stay safe can bring enormous peace of mind when horrible events happen.
Who doesn’t prefer calm over panic?
For Peace of Mind, work with a specialist to get you ready. Contact me here!
Be Well. Stay Safe. ~Beth
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