At O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store in Kenai, store manager Blaine Johnson points to a shelf stocked with vehicle air filters. It’s the first time in over a month the store has had any air filters readily available for purchase.
That’s because last month, scientists predicted that Mt. Spurr, the closest active volcano to Alaska’s population centers, could erupt within the next few weeks or months. Although scientists now say the likelihood of an eruption has decreased, Johnson says air filters and cabin air filters continue to sell like hot cakes.
“It's like COVID and the toilet paper," Johnson said. "Mt. Spurr and the air filters, same thing.”
Johnson says the store started seeing more sales the same day scientists predicted Spurr’s potential eruption back in March. Since then, he says the store has sold four to five times the amount of air filters than normal.
The Kenai store was sold out of air filters for a while. So they had to source them from the Lower 48.
“We sold everything out of Anchorage," Johnson said. "So we started pulling out of Seattle, Montana; Springfield, Missouri.”
Johnson says orders were filled quickly – it took a few days at most.
Carquest Auto Parts, also in Kenai, has seen a similar increase in air filter sales. They’ve sold at least four times the amount of air filters they did just a few months ago.
“I would say in the last month and a half, I'd probably put it close to half our sales,” said Kenai Carquest manager Chris Sutherlin.
The store has sourced air filters from around the country to fill demand, from California to New Jersey. Most shipments, Sutherlin says, arrive overnight. And like O’Reilly’s, Kenai’s Carquest now has plenty in stock.
But vehicle air filters aren’t the only items flying off local shelves. Since the Mt. Spurr announcement, in-home air filters have also been top sellers at some local hardware stores.
“So I would say we're probably on air filters right now, probably up 400% on that," said Scott Miller, co-owner of Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware and Fishing. "So for the last three weeks or so, people are really getting prepared.”
He says N95 masks have been big sellers. They recently ordered a shipment of 15,000. Half of them have already been bought up.
Within the last month, the store has also seen sales increases for windshield wash, tarps, flashlights and other emergency preparedness items. They’ve also sold a lot of garden hoses and sprayers because it's recommended to wash, not brush, volcanic ash off vehicles.
Miller says recently, volcano preparedness items have accounted for about 15% to 20% of the store’s total sales.
“There's been a big awareness of Mt. Spurr here, this time around," Miller said. "And I think people are just better prepared than not. So it's kind of cheap insurance.”
As of this month, there have been fewer earthquakes at Mt. Spurr, which scientists say means an eruption is less likely. But, it's still possible.
