Earthquakes and price of MREs

[Jpak]

There was a 4.7 magnitude earthquake yesterday by LAX Int'l Airport (right near Los Angeles, CA) and another 4.1 magnitude earthquake today around the same area. I felt the tremors and I was about 50 miles away from the epicenter. Makes me wonder if I should stock up on some extra rations...they say we're overdue for the "big" one...whatever that means.

Anyone think this will cause a spike in the prices of MREs? Or has anyone noticed a spike in prices? Just wondering...

[dirtbag]

I live 150 miles up the coast, and didn't feel either one.
Small ones are good, releases the faults slowly...
Stocking up? Sure, any excuse will do.
I probably have several months worth of MRE's, canned goods and lastly a months worth of those dehydrated number 10 cans of 'stuff'... Keeps you alive, but tasteless !
I also try to keep lots of water on hand, and I have one of those backpacking water filters too.
Plus ,...
Well, lets just say, lots of 'other' stuff too

[Jpak]

Thanks for your input dirtbag...I agree, it's always good to have an emergency "kit" ready...especially judging how long it took for relief efforts during Katrina, Gustav, etc., to materialize. Always be ready to fend for yourself in times of crisis...

I used to eat those dehydrated meals on a regular basis during extended backpacking hikes back on the East coast, and I always thought they tasted like crap...but they were extremely lightweight to carry. MREs may be heavier and more expensive, but they are totally worth it...and don't require hot water to prep/eat them.

[kman]

Jpak, I can't really speak to a surge in MRE prices, but I can say something about the interest level in MRE information. I keep an eye on the stats for MREInfo.com and the hits usually start rising once hurricane season starts. As soon as the news shows start talking about how many hurricanes will hit, people start looking to get information on where to buy MREs.

But in this case, the surge in hits started once the Swine Flu panic spread in March. For example, in 2008, the website hits for March, April, and May slowly ramped up, increasing each month. But this year, 2009, the hits jumped up in March and stayed up there for April and May.

[Jpak]

That's interesting info kman. I occasionally keep an eye out on ebay for MRE bargains and track some of the more reliable sellers...and did notice a little while back that 2 cases of real MREs were going for as high as $185.00 not including shipping. Now, they seem back to much lower prices, but I wonder if it was the swine flu that caused that uptick in prices? That damn swine flu!