As a volunteer with Palo Alto's Community Emergency Response Team I encourage residents to refresh their emergency supplies each year.

Palo Alto's Office of Emergency Services has resources available on their web site: Web Link

Hopefully we won't see large numbers ill with Covid-19 but this does serve as a reminder to review our disaster preparedness plans.

Stay well rested and nourished. Try not to touch your face.

WASH YOUR HANDS frequently, and do it right. Lather up for as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday twice." Wash both sides of your hands and your fingers carefully. Rinse carefully.

Avoid crowds, if possible, but don't freak out about being around people.

Sneeze/cough into a tissue or your sleeve (if you must) but not your hands.

Old-fashioned soap and water is an excellent defense if you do it right.

Don't go out and infect others if you feel sick.

These are good habits all of the time. This virus gives us reason to practice better, healthy daily habits.

Individuals and families who have planned ahead should have everything they need in their current disaster/earthquake kit.

When an epidemic occurs it is too late to get the things that you should already have.

I'm confused. Why are people buying water? Water will still flow, and the virus is spread from person to person, not through the tap. Even if someone has the virus on their hand and puts their hand in an aqueduct, it wouldn't "infect" the water. This is not a water-borne illness.

Please, let's be a little more thoughtful about this and stop wasting huge amounts of plastic. And if you're stocking up on water bottles in case of a quarantine, meaning you always drink bottled water, stop. JUST STOP. Water bottles are one of the worst environmental catastrophes of our time. Enough already. It's almost all tap water, anyway.

@confused,
I agree with you about the environmental waste of plastic, but I have to be honest that after losing my home in a natural disaster some years ago, I haven't found anything better to replace it for emergency supplies. I try to slowly rotate and actually use the water bottles so it doesn't go to waste, but I've tried so many other ways to maintain a stock of emergency water (like large 5 gal jugs with bleach to disinfect, etc etc), and nothing has been as workable as the bottled water. I've even considered canned water.

But, like you, I"m wondering why people are buying water for this. That said, I don't think it's a bad thing that people are finally getting around to prepare for earthquakes....

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People are buying water, etc. because they're panicking. Panicking is ridiculous, and it makes the situation worse. Use good judgment.

People arrive and live in Palo Alto from all over the State, all over the country and yes, all over the world.

Of course they have the right to go back home for a visit. Nobody should blame anyone for wanting to visit parents, family in Oregon, Orlando or the Old World.

Stop this guilt tripping those who choose to visit elsewhere. They may be the bike riding, vegan food eating, volunteering individuals who help those who need help in emergencies or give large amounts to help homeless or underprivileged charities.

Guilt tripping and being judgmental is never a good idea, after all, you might have lots to be criticized of yourself.

OK, you lemmings can go out and buy all the masks, water (wait, what?), throat lozenges (huh?) and hand sanitizer that you feel you need, but can you at least save me a roll or two of toilet paper? Thank you.

Panic buying of items is being done by every demographic, toilet paper, hygiene products and foods. The only people not doing it is the poor, they don't have the money or the credit to do so.

"Palo Alto resident Monica Hmelar has been searching several retail stores for hand sanitizer."

Um, does Palo Alto Resident Monica Hmelar understand that the active ingredient in common "hand sanitizer" lotions is alcohol? And that germicidal alcohols are sold in other forms too at the same stores (possibly even more effective and less expensive, though less convenient), such as "rubbing" alcohol? Don't people learn about things like this any more?

In a pinch, high-proof potable spirits such as vodka or rum will also disinfect hands (though those products are far more expensive).

The article implies a stubborn search for one particular form of disinfectant alcohol, and doesn't indicate if she looked for any others -- stopped to think -- read any ingredients lists. (But then, it also reports a stubborn pursuit of face masks, despite quoted advice to the contrary from the Surgeon General.) Epidemiologists, for 10-20 years -- ever since SARS and H5N1 fears -- have urged people to have the masks at home, in advance, in case of epidemics exactly like this one. After the epidemic hits IS NOT THE TIME to go looking for face masks.

Many popular vodka and rum brands sold in around here are 40% alcohol. You need to be at least 60% alcohol (120 proof) to be effective.

This all makes sense. Dining out increases your exposure to potential carriers of colds, flus, coronavirus & food poisoning.

Eat & cook at home. Develop new culinary skills. The bay area area already has far too many restaurants & if 50% of the mediocre ones went out of business due to quality home cooking practices & virus concerns...no big loss.

If you're not immunocompromised or don't have a chronic illness, stop buying masks. Hospitals will run out. And what will I and other cystic fibrosis patients do when we truly need the masks?

Water wasn't on the top of my list of things to stock up on, but here's why it made sense:
Those cases of water from Costco are $2.99 (at least when I bought my cases the other week). That allows us to stock up very cheaply. And they can be used or donated (come fire season).

Now we're prepared in case a water main breaks and there's nobody able or willing to fix it in the area we live in. Additionally, we could have a plumbing issue in our house, and either we're under quarantine or there are no plumbers available.

What are the chances that something will happen which will require the water being shut off in the next 6 months? Well, using past history for us, it's about 25%

The bottom line here is that it was ridiculously cheap, easy to obtain, critical to life, and while it's likely that it won't be used, it can be easily consumed or donated.

> stop buying masks. Hospitals will run out

Seriously?

Yup, just the other day, down at Ace Hardware, I saw a Stanford truck stocking up on masks for the medical center.

Uh-huh. C'mon folks.

I have 10 concerts on sale at Mitchell Park Community Center, between March 6 and May 3, so best case scenario I will be sharing some incredible musical experiences (and escape from tension) with 2,000 of my neighbors and freinds and fellow travelers (dancers, singers, people moved to near ecstasy by sound and sight).
Worst case scenario: I will refund all no-shows for people who are feeling under the weather. I will be renegotiating all 10 shows, mostly via the agents -- I want to ensure that if a performer feels under the weather, he or she will rather reschedule than appear in Palo Alto.
For me this whole issue is an opportunity to develop my relationships with artists and audiences, and something to build on moving forward. The show must go on, but only in a safe healthy and fun environment.

I presume personally I will get a cold and then get over it. (I won't work if I'm sick -- I will either have a sub run the show or maybe cancel and refund -- It could be slightly different deal with each headliner, for each date, but I will have a plan going forward).

I presume many Palo Altans and Californians will get this virus but few will die of this. Fewer than 2 percent.
God bless.
God bless you.

Keep on rockin' in the free world.
Mark Weiss
Earthwise Productions of Palo Alto
(indirectly speaking for The Mother Hips, Akira Tana, Jenny Scheimnan, Alison Miller, AJ Lee, Sullivan Tuttle, Wayne Horvitz, Lisa Mezzacappa, Marcus Shelby,Valerie Troutt, Tiffany Austin, Mike "that1guy" Siliverman, The Dartmouth Coast Jazz Orchestra, Motoko Honda, Laura Veirs, Myra Melford, Liberty Ellman, Ron Miles, Rudy Royston et al)

I've had the experience of being CURED by live music at a concert.
I'll be constantly updating these policies based on what goes on with Stanford Live, The Sharks, SXSW, Fox Theatre Oakland, The Fillmore, et cetera. And yes, I noted that David Packard shuttered his theatre.

We've been selling, thru 15 events so far in the last year and a half, 80 percent of our tickets via EventBrite and so it's really easy to issue updates on cancellations (one so far, last fall) or refunds.

All is not yet lost. Stay calm during this media driven hysteria and all will be well.
"Encumbered by idiots we pressed on"

Fairmeadow: Alcohol is germicidal at any concentration, but less effectively outside the range 60% to 90%. A bigger issue is that it's more useful against bacteria than viruses -- to kill viruses, longer contact is needed -- hand washing is probably a better strategy in general anyway.

Everclear [TM] is sold here at 120 proof (60% alcohol). 151-proof rum is available in the same California beverage shops, a few shelves away.

I'd bet rum, brandy, or other "brown" spirits are more effective improvised sanitizers than vodkas anyway (in an emergency, the only time you'd use such a costly alcohol source for this purpose), because they also include natural congeners such as acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate that are part of those spirits' more complex flavor, and contribute germicidal action of their own. Of course, avoid sweetened cordials like creme-de-menthe, which contain not only less alcohol usually, but lots of sugar -- they'd make a sticky mess.

Some of the middle school aged children in our neighborhood found an old CD with the song 'My Sharona' & they are now drafting new lyrics for their own version to be auditioned for an upcoming talent show.

Adorable & funny!

Just wondering, how does the word "Champagne" fits into this story?
Champagne is traditionally used in association with celebrations.
This situation is extremely serious.
It has caused deaths, sickness, chaos, and financial ruin for many - worldwide.
The word "Champagne" should be removed from the title.

@Parent, this is a human-interest story. Toward the bottom is a quote from Stanford resident: "I need to keep calm," she said while outside of Whole Foods after a routine shopping trip. "That's why I bought Champagne."