I Went Looking for Toilet Paper in Amarillo, Why Are We Hoarding?

It's been all over the news. It's been the subject of a whole new crop of memes littering social media. People have been panic buying supplies leaving shelves bare.

I went out to see how bad it could possibly be.

I went to two different WalMarts and to Target just to see for myself. Not a roll of tp was to be found.

What happens you combine panic with a paycheck? This.

A lifelong best friend of mine lives in OKC, where they are dealing with an outbreak. We were talking about how neither one of us wanted to go hoard everything we could find, but now feel like we should just because everyone else is. At some point, we're going to need more tp, and other supplies. It's a domino effect that is leaving our locals without basic supplies.

If everyone is already hoarding supplies, that's going to make things tough.

It's more than toilet paper. Diapers, baby formula, wipes, canned food, bread, eggs, flour, and several other items were missing from the shelves, or very close. My wife and I looked at each other at one point and neither one of us had to say it.

What if we missed the boat?

Even if there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Amarillo or our area, the panic is definitely already here.

That's the thing that scares me the most about the pandemic. It isn't the illness, or even quarantine anymore. It's the public panic.

If people are already pillaging stores, what comes next?

Please, for the love of God and all that we love as human beings, try to stay calm and ride this out rationally.