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Bird Flu Fears Hike Survival Gear Demand
A strain of bird flu known as H5N1 has killed millions of chickens and more than 100 people worldwide since 2003, mostly in Asia. While the deaths are blamed on close contact with sick poultry, experts are afraid the virus could mutate to spread easily among people.
If it arrives in North America, even businesses that stand to make a fortune say they're not prepared.
  Harry Weyandt stands in the storage area of his Nitro Pak store where products are pulled from the shelves to fill emergency kits Thursday, April 20, 2006 in Heber City, Utah. Weyandt's business has been booming with recent concerns about the possibility of an Avian Flu pandemic. (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson) (Steve C Wilson - AP) Save & Share |
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"This industry is so teeny, that if something happens to get everybody in a panic, it can't handle it," said Richard Mankamyer, owner of The Survival Center in McKenna, Wash.
In recent months, federal and state officials have been urging Americans to stock up on emergency supplies.
At Oregon Freeze Dry in Albany, Ore., orders for its No. 10-size cans, which hold eight to 17 servings of food each, have jumped tenfold since the Gulf Coast hurricanes last year, said Melanie Cornutt, assistant manager. The company's Mountain House division is well-known for its line of backpacking foods.
"We've gone through these spikes for 35 years now, but we don't try to keep a huge amount of inventory on hand because it's so hard to predict when the next one will hit," Cornutt said.
In a worst-case scenario, federal officials say a pandemic flu might kill up to 2 million Americans and keep up to 40 percent of the work force at home for several weeks.
Still, industry veterans said the flu frenzy is nothing like the preparedness industry saw leading up to Y2K worries, when people feared computer systems would crash when Jan. 1, 2000, arrived.
In 1999, Nitro-Pak's staff grew to 80, working in a 44,000-square-foot warehouse, Weyandt said. Today, Nitro-Pak employs 12 people full-time in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse.
Among the company's biggest sellers now is a 72-hour survival kit for two. The "executive" model, for $135.99, fits in a small backpack and is loaded with three dozen items, including high-energy foods, water pouches, a radio, a tent, space blanket, pocket knife and even a deck of playing cards.
Utah residents may be better prepared for emergencies, Weyandt said, because the Mormon church _ the state's dominant religion _ encourages members to stock up with food and water in case of disaster. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints calls the practice "provident living."
Industry veterans said many startup companies got into the preparedness business before Y2K, only to fold when no a crisis materialized. Similar boom-and-bust cycles followed the Sept. 11 terror attacks, California earthquakes and hurricanes in the South.
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On the Net:
Utah Department of Health flu information: http:/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services flu information: http:/
World Health Organization's flu information: http:/