When the residents of an entire city or region all realize a disaster has just happened or is about to take place, grocery stores are cleared of all their goods within a matter of hours:

PANIC buying took hold across Cairns yesterday as residents brace for severe cyclone Yasi, expected to hit the Far North tonight.

Customers stripped supermarket shelves of groceries and essential supplies as they scrambled to boost cyclone kits with batteries, torches, tinned food and bottled water.

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Masking tape, rope and generators have now been sold out at Cairns Bunnings, after customers begun pouring into the store at 6.30am yesterday.

“We’re also low on portable gas stoves and batteries,” a spokeswoman said.

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With long lines of cars snaking along city streets yesterday, Caltex spokesman Sam Collyer said some service stations were experiencing fuel shortages.

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Barbeques Galore spokesman Ron Henderson said there was a rush of customers to his store, with more than 50 gas bottles snapped up yesterday.

“We’ve hardly got anything left, no charcoal, fire lighters and only a few heat beads and ring burners,” he said.

Long lines of people could be seen lining up for gas bottle refills at service stations and other stockists.

Source: Cairns News

If you are just starting to get emergency preparation underway in your own household, the above report should give you an idea of some mission critical emergency essentials to acquire for your reserve.

Regardless of the type of emergency for which you are planning, a 7 to 30 day supply of food, water, basic medical gear, batteries, region appropriate clothing and shelter (tents, sleeping bags, etc.), a camping stove, and fuel reserves (for driving and off-grid cooking) should be part of any basic preparedness plan.

For a more complete list of what happens when it hits the fan, check out These 100 Items Will Disappear First.

Also:

Use the Snow Storm As a Test Run For the Real Thing

Snowpocalypse: Why Being Prepared is a Good Idea

Hat tip Suzy