Ebola, illegal immigration, natural disasters and the seemingly never ending threats of rioting have Americans preparing to deal with emergencies on their own.
Brownells, a company specializing in firearm accessories and gunsmithing tools, has seen a surge in pandemic gear.
“Our Pandemic Kits press release went out Thursday, Oct. 14. In the first five days, the Ultimate Pandemic Kit sold out and the Pandemic kits sold about twice as well as our other Emergency & Survival Kits do in a given five-day period,” Roy Hill of Brownells told The Daily Caller. “We got more of the Ultimate Pandemic Kits in about two weeks later, and they sold out again within 48 hours of being back in stock.”
Ultimate Pandemic Kit
By the looks of what is selling in the hot category of “Emergency & Survival Gear” on Brownells.com, it would appear that a shelter-in-place strategy is on America’s mind.
A top-selling product called the Jet Boil Flash Carbon is a stove designed to boil two cups of water in two minutes. The information on the website indicates it is a recommended product for “civil unrest.”
Water is always on the top of every prepper’s list of must-have items and water related supplies are flying off the shelves.
The WaterBrick is a stackable water or dry food storage container system designed for efficient water storage and an emergency products top seller. Joining the WaterBrick in sales are two prepping staples; the LifeStraw in both the personal and family size. A LifeStraw is a simple and incredibly effective water filtration tool that enables the user to drink water from rivers or lakes where E. coli, Giardia and Cryptosporidium are present.
WaterBrick
Hill tells TheDC that first aid kits have entered the top-seller list: “One of the kits includes QuickClot and other tools for serious bleeding injury.”
Rounding out the top sellers are freeze dried and dehydrated food supplies. “The food in these kits is good for 25 years, so they are there when you need them,” Hill says. “They are great for power out emergencies or bugging out when a natural disaster is on the way.”
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, warns on their website, “You may need to survive on your own after an emergency.” FEMA encourages everyone to have food, water and medical supplies to last at least 72 hours. “You could get help in hours or it might take days.”
“Additionally, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment and telephones may be cut off for days or even a week, or longer,” according to FEMA. They recommend that you assemble enough supplies to manages during these outages.