Menu
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Feature
    • Arts
    • Astrology
    • Business
    • Community
    • Employment
    • Event Stories
    • From the Pioneer
    • Government
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Non Profit News
    • Obituary
    • Public Safety
  • Weather
  • Guest Column
    • Perspectives
    • Don Backman Photos
    • Ardent Gourmet
    • Kitchen Maven
    • I’ve been thinking
    • Jim Heffernan
    • The Littoral Life
    • Neal Lemery
    • View From Here
    • Virginia Carrell Prowell
    • Words of Wisdom
  • Calendar
  • Things to do
    • Tillamook County Parks
    • Tillamook County Hikes
    • Whale Watching
    • Tillamook County Library
  • About
    • Contribute
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Opt-out preferences
  • Search...
Menu

Emergency Preparedness Involves More Than Toilet Paper

Posted on March 15, 2020March 15, 2020 by Editor
www.tillamookcountypioneer.net

An Editorial by Gordon McCraw
Being somewhat of an expert in emergency preparedness and evacuation after so many hurricane threats while living in Louisiana, I am quite confused on this toilet paper hoarding occurring currently. I understand the hand sanitizer and cleaning wipe run, but toilet paper? It isn’t just in Oregon either, it is across the United States. To take a step further, Australia has limits on sales and has had to hire guards to make sure the limits are followed. This TP scare has gone world-wide.

Maybe it is because my family and I have done it so many times that we know how to prepare without panicking. I am sure part of the current scare is the fear that it is new, has no vaccine, and we get conflicting messages on TV and especially across social media. Because it is new, we are not given clear and precise guidance by the government officials who are experiencing a learning curve as well.
So, the result of this is a self-driving, perfect toilet paper storm. Retail stores get deliveries on a schedule. They use strict inventory controls based on their frequent inventories. This way they do not need a huge warehouse to hold supplies. They only get what the inventories show they have historically sold and look at on hand stock. Some of the public see on TV that toilet paper is running out in Europe. Seeing this, they run down to the store and buy much more than they really need, to ensure they don’t run out with the expected shortage hits. This surge of buying competes with what the computer indicates is normal. It begins to increase the delivery of the TP but in fact, inventory control hasn’t caught up to the surge and this causes the shelves to empty, which suggest there is a shortage, and this increases the panic buying.
Therefore, I understand the fear, in emergency situations people look for something to control. Amazingly, goods make us feel more comfortable. The good news, toilet paper doesn’t have an expiration date and will eventually get used, but does it really make sense to stockpile toilet paper? Eventually everyone’s spare room will be filled with TP, then what?

Featured Video

Tillamook Weather

Tides

Podcast

Tillamook Early Learning Center
Tides of Change
Manzanita Open - Eugene Schmuck Foundation
Tillamook Police Chief Rau
Manzanita Farmers Market
CARE 2022

Archives

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
Linkedin

Recent Posts

  • Friends of Netarts Bay WEBS & Explore Nature Events in Oct. & Nov. - Photography, Basket Weaving & Native Lifeways of the Tillamook

    October 2, 2023
  • 41st Annual Harvest Festival at Neskowin Valley School Oct. 7th

    October 2, 2023
  • NEWS UPDATE FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GOMBERG: Lots of Legislative Days News

    October 2, 2023
editor (@) tillamookcountypioneer.net
MAILING ADDRESS:
Tillamook County Pioneer
PO Box 1086,
Tillamook, OR 97141
EULA
©2023 | Theme by SuperbThemes

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}