Stores had bolstered stocks of emergency supplies and managers had seen more foot traffic this week. Even the expense of portable generators was no deterrent. Everyone is sold out of them - throughout the region they are out. Demand for energy-efficient bulbs and emergency lighting was also high. Many Californians who have been through power outages and worse during such events as the Northridge and Loma Prieta earthquakes already had supplies on hand.
Preparedness is pretty much the same for all disasters.
Costco warehouses across Southern California increased stock by 40 percent in anticipation of outages, regional manager Bruce Greenwood said. It's the same list of things we bought for Y2K that we thought people would want. Store managers were requesting more orders for batteries and energy-saving light bulbs while rural areas have asked for generators and propane tanks, he said. Businesses were also looking to buy backup generators. Graydon said the Carson company has fielded calls from across the state.