Just about every local news outlet across North Carolina has released something on the incoming “snowpocalypse”. Widespread panic set in for North Carolinians, flooding them with the need to buy the typical bread, milk, and eggs in bulk. Grocery stores are wiped, anywhere that one could buy propane has been cleaned out entirely, and people are already calling out of work.
This has all happened before, with the same enormous purchases made by panicked residents. February of 2014 brought 3 ½ inches of snow to Raleigh residents, with a sheet of slippery ice on top. Games were postponed, retail stores closed, grocery stores were wiped clean of any sustenance, and at one point, a car caught on fire in a traffic accident.
Anyone who lives in a climate more accustomed to snow could look at these incidents and laugh at the insanity caused by snow measured in single digits. But snow is not the issue at hand. In fact, CNN now predicts that North Carolina will see little to no snow during this storm, but up to two inches of ice.
Admittedly, this is where some concern is warranted. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, a minimum of 0.625 cm of ice accumulation is considered to be an ice storm. Ice accumulation and the intense weight added to tree branches can cause severe damage in nearby areas. For perspective, the Air Force Safety Center states that even a half-inch of ice can add up to 500 extra pounds on top of power lines. So, yes, there are reasons to take precautions for the upcoming storm. But there isn’t a reason to buy more than what you need.
Unfortunately, even though the precipitation has yet to arrive and the likelihood of another car bonfire is low, the familiar “buy! buy! buy!” mentality has already taken hold across the state.
Unless you have a home full of small children, there is no need to buy 6 gallons of milk over a two-day icy period. Despite the fact that the hundreds of dollars of groceries or extensive amounts of propane people purchase never prove to be worth it, the overconsumption continues. It leaves little to nothing for the people who also need propane to keep their heat on, or people who need milk for their children.
The reason why North Carolinians go into panic mode may not be explainable, but the eggs-milk-bread pipeline can be. In an interview with USA Today, Hersh Shefrin, professor of behavioral finance at Santa Clara University, cites the human tendency to think in extremes when faced with fear. Additionally, he argues that people subconsciously fear others have already stocked up and they are the fools for not doing the same. The bread aisle emptiness is symbolic of the coping mechanisms southern people use to deal with winter weather.
English teacher Renee Lamb witnessed this phenomenon with her own eyes when stopping at her local Food Lion on Thursday. She admits she knew it would be crazy, but still found herself surprised and slightly amused at the raided state of the usually stocked grocery store.
“I get to the bread aisle: empty, completely empty,” Lamb said. “There were actually Dave’s Killer Bread Cinnamon Raisin bagels—which are my favorite bagels! So I got a pack of those. And we actually are out of milk. But, uh, we’re not having any milk.”
While the weather seems daunting at the moment, it’s likely that the hundreds of dollars in supplies people are purchasing will end up being only partially used. It’s okay not to prep for doomsday when an ice storm occurs, even though it seems like the most appropriate way of handling uncommon weather.
The incoming storm isn’t going to end the world and wipe out every grocery store in a 10-mile radius, so maybe put back that extra milk carton.
