December 21, 2012 remains in many people’s memory because of the claims circulated about the end of the world. The completion of the Mayan calendar on that date gave rise in some circles to doomsday scenarios and sparked widespread debate and anxiety around the world. Although the expected catastrophe did not occur, the episode once again showed how vulnerable people are to global threats. Now similar questions are back on the agenda. In a number of countries around the world, citizens are advised to keep at least 3-7 days’ supply of food and water at home and to obtain a power bank, a flashlight and cash. These calls have not gone unnoticed in Azerbaijan either. Some citizens are already reported to have started stockpiling food and water at home.
Do these recommendations apply to Azerbaijan? Should we too start stockpiling food and water at home right now? Is there any grounds for concern?
Ilgar Huseynli, chairman of the Social-Strategic Studies and Analytical Research Public Association, told Globalinfo.az that such a process was experienced 14 years ago, when numerous supermarkets and small shops emptied almost overnight:
“People bought flour by the sack and stocked up on kerosene, lamps and candles at home. Demand for candles, lamps, kerosene and dry food products in the shops rose sharply. I think that in a certain sense this process may be a game that also serves the interests of producers of food and everyday consumer goods. An artificial panic is created in business, and people psychologically adapt to the situation. Because in such situations people even buy power banks and bottled water in large quantities. It seems to me that all of this is part of the same processes that repeat at certain intervals. I do not think that such serious disasters will occur in the near future.”
Ilgar Huseynli
The expert said that having a supply of food, water and some money at home is not a problem:
“On the contrary, it is a certain preparation for possible risks. In any case, people usually have at least a week’s supply of food at home. If banks collapse at a global level or force majeure situations occur in the banking system, our ability to pay may be limited. In such a situation there is a need for cash. Therefore it is important to keep a certain amount of cash at home. But it is not right to assess all this as the approach of the end of the world and to call on people to stockpile en masse. I do not see such a forecast. Scientific, astronomical and seismic centres that monitor possible disasters around the world have so far not issued forecasts of such global catastrophes either. That is why the issue should be approached not as an expectation of disaster but as preparation for possible risks. In other words, our citizens can build up certain reserves.”
Laman Imran
Globalinfo.az
Read also
