Alert brings stockpiling, scoffs

[tonado]

Did anyone buy duct tape and plastic sheets yet? Now our loveones will be scared to come to USA.

 

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Alert brings stockpiling, scoffs

Some see comfort in precautions

 

By Joanna Weiss, Globe Staff, Globe Correspondent, 2/13/2003

 

When Liza Szalaji first said she wanted to buy duct tape and plastic sheeting this week to protect her South End home from chemical terrorism, her husband laughed it off.

 

But Szalaji, 40, was serious. She'd heard the announcements from the US Department of Homeland Security, advising people to seal ''safe rooms'' in their homes, and to hoard bottled water and batteries.

 

So she headed to a nearby Home Depot.

 

''It's wise to be wise,'' she said, grabbing two rolls of duct tape and two packages of heavy-duty plastic.

 

But as he passed her in the aisle, contractor Phil Kenney, 55, couldn't resist a crack. ''It's a big scam!'' he said, elaborating later: ''What are you going to do, walk around your house like Polyester Man or Woman? With plastic all over you? . . . We'll be in caves in our own houses. Maybe that's what they want.''

 

This is life at the ends of the preparedness spectrum, in this age of vague threats and unparalleled dangers. Since federal officials issued new terror warnings last week and told Americans to take some responsibility for their own protection, some citizens have leapt into action.

 

In Boston and elsewhere across the country, hardware stores are reporting higher-than-usual sales of tape, plastic, and emergency supplies. Jack Gurnon, the owner of Charles Street Supply Co. and True Value on Beacon Hill, said several customers called him after hearing news reports, and instructed him to stock up on the goods.

 

But at other local hardware stores, clerks laughed at the notion that a few strips of plastic could shield anyone from a dirty bomb or a chemical attack. And security specialists concur.

 

In a typical house, it's hard to make one room airtight, said Ross Bulla, a corporate security consultant from Charlotte, N.C. Even if you could, he said, you'd cut off your oxygen supply and suffocate.

 

There's a reason, Bulla said, that in the midst of an Orange Alert, the government would suggest such an unproven course of action. When you're waiting for something awful to happen, doing anything feels better than doing nothing.

 

''It just gives them some method of preparing,'' Bulla said. ''Will it save a life? Probably not. But it gives them something to do and, psychologically, they don't feel helpless.''

 

That same mentality led to the fallout shelters and ''duck-and-cover'' warnings that were staples of the early Cold War years, said Paul Camper, a Washington-based security consultant and clinical psychologist.

 

''It's the mediating variable of control,'' he said. ''To the extent that something that I'm doing enhances my perception of control of the situation, then it works.''

 

But in this case, Camper said, the government's plan could backfire. If people are skeptical that duct tape will save them, he said, the suggestion might cause them to worry more: In the face of real danger, why is the government handing out useless advice?

 

''Unless you're really helping people to prevent and take greater control of the situation, you're really not helping,'' Camper said. ''In fact, you're increasing the anxiety.''

 

Child safety consultant Debra Holtzman can already see the panic in her Hollywood, Fla., neighbors. Some are hoarding bottled water, she said; some are watching the TV news channels day and night. Many are running the risk of terrifying their children.

 

''Bottled water is maybe going to help a little bit, but people aren't focusing on the right thing, from my perspective,'' she said.

 

Holtzman has been making the TV rounds, urging people to prepare children as they would for a natural disaster: making sure they know what to do if the power goes out, and whom to call if they can't reach their parents. She also suggests sending children to school with ''Emergency Safety Kits,'' which she says should include a small flashlight, a cellphone, a snack, and a handkerchief that doubles as a gas mask.

 

It's hard to tell what will keep people safe and also keep them calm, Camper said. In the face of diffuse threats, he said, it's hard to buy safety in a hardware store.

 

''I think ultimately we come down to the terrible fact of the matter: that this is a situation that is largely outside of people's control,'' he said.

 

But Szalaji, a lawyer, takes some comfort in small steps, despite the naysaying she hears.

 

''I think a lot of people are reluctant to admit that they might be a little bit frightened,'' she said. So she'll prepare for them.

 

Even though her brother scoffed at the idea, she plans to bring duct tape and sheeting to his house to help him protect his 7-week-old daughter. She plans to keep a knapsack in her closet, with a flashlight, a first aid kit, some water, and some energy bars.

 

She figures it's smart to ''just prepare for the unknown. And hopefully, it'll never happen, and I'll have drop cloths when I paint my living room.''

 

 

Globe correspondents Karla Kingsley and Brendan McCarthy contributed to this story.

 

 

This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 2/13/2003.

© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.

[chinadave2001]

Which hysteria is greater? Terrorism is the USA or the mysterious flu in Guangzhou? I can say that alot of people are scared here in the states, while others are just laughing it off.

[JoeLiyan]

Which hysteria is greater?  Terrorism is the USA or the mysterious flu in Guangzhou? I can say that  alot of people are scared here in the states, while others are just laughing it off.

Unfortunately, the threat seems all to real - sadly, we're the victim again of radical Islam...Government doesn't seem to be crying wolf, and cities, (especially Washington, God, the things set up like a fortress!) New York in particular, aren't messing around.

 

The flu in GUZ has THEM!! scared to death - something they, perhaps, dont' know how to handle, and Beijing is playing DOWN - the press is right to sound some fire alarms about poor health care in China.

[Myles]

Aloha from Hawaii,

Unfortunately, there is a real threat out there. However, duct tape and plastic is

not the answer. The best defense against a chemical attack is to get out of the

contaminated area. The best defense against a biological attack is to be in good

heath. A healthy person with the vaccinations has a good chance of survival.

To defend against radiation you get out of the area as quickly as possible with

extra things to wear after decontamination. Also expect a breakdown of law

and order. A sidearm is a good idea to add to a survival kit.

Myles aka Annakuen'GG

[Jatuke]

This hysteria of mass purchase of duct tape is Bush's solution to boost the economy.

 

 

We should investigate whether Cheney and Bush have any investments in Home Depot. Or even Martha Stewart.

[AZwolfman]

This hysteria of mass purchase of duct tape is Bush's solution to boost the economy.

Could be true It probably will work as well as the other things he has tried.

[owenkrout]

Just a note that the TV here was reporting that GZ was selling out of rice and other staples. TV footage showed obvious panic buying going on. People overloading multiple carts with rice and paper products. The reason? Because the US was going to attack Iraq.

 

Since when is Iraq a source of rice for China? Hysteria is multinational.

[Mick]

Just a note that the TV here was reporting that GZ was selling out of rice and other staples.  TV footage showed obvious panic buying going on.  People overloading multiple carts with rice and paper products.  The reason?  Because the US was going to attack Iraq. 

 

Since when is Iraq a source of rice for China?  Hysteria is multinational.

Yes Owen, that footage of the panic buying of rice was fascinating to say the least. Guys literally were backing up pickup trucks and loading them down with huge bags of rice. Total panic! And this right on the heels of the big vinegar buyout in Guangdong.

[owenkrout]

Add salt and cooking oil to the list of panic items in GZ now. Police are starting to just shut down vendors who are price gouging. Also, the wife said that they were closing some outlets temporarily to try and stem the buying in huge quantities.

 

There is a sucker born every minute and apparently most of them are in GZ!

[tonado]

Happy Presidents Day. The news mentioned about reducing the terrorist allert from high to one lower.