A Richmond-based emergency kit supplier has had its shelves cleaned out in the wake of Saturday’s massive earthquake off the B.C. coast.
The phonelines at SOS Emergency Response Technologies have been red hot since a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck at 8:02 p.m. Saturday off the coast of Haida Gwaii, about 800 kilometres northeast of Richmond.
It was the biggest seismic event in the region for around 60 years and the proximity and scale of the tremors has shaken people into action in terms of preparing themselves for the forecasted “big one.”
“We’ve had to call in staff from holidays to deal with the demand,” said SOS’s co-owner Stacey Friedman.
“This happened last year after the Japanese tsunami as well and I so wish people would pay attention to this stuff year round as the demand now has way outstripped the supply.
“We’re completely cleaned out of stock and we’re right behind the 8-ball. People are now having to wait at least ten days before they will receive their order.”
Friedman said, within minutes of learning about the quake, she had called around all her staff on Saturday night to make sure they’d be in “bright and early Monday morning.”
“I was doing a lot of tweeting Saturday night as well, asking people to be more proactive, not reactive and the news media picked this up,” she added.
“I would much rather (the demand) was spread out a little more, but the phone has been ringing off the hook since Saturday.
“We were on CTV this morning and family members in Montreal contacted us to say they’d watched us on TV.”
SOS is now in the process of trying to re-stock its “72-hour kit,” which includes a myriad of survival essentials in a backpack.
“The kit has things like a hand-cranked radio and flashlight (batteries expire over time), food, water, water purification tablets (you may need to drink out of the toilet), a cellphone charger, light sticks, toilet roll, blankets and gloves,” said Friedman.
“A 4-person kit costs $115 and it comes in a backpack and it will last five years. It’s a basic survival kit.
“Many people have their supplies in boxes or in pales. But people might have to carry or look after children while making their way to shelters or picking their way through debris.”
Also, SOS’s kits were designed in association with a company from L.A., which has a “lot of experience with earthquakes,” Friedman said.
“We’ve have sold thousands of kits since Saturday, I’ve lost count to be honest.
“Many people put protein bars and bottles of water in their kits, but protein bars promote thirst and plastic bottles break down over time.”