Oregon shoppers flooded Costco, WinCo and Fred Meyer over the weekend, driven into a buying frenzy by word that the coronavirus had spread to the Portland area.

At least one Costco, in Vancouver, confirmed Tuesday it has put limits on the amount of rice, sugar, water, disinfectant and toilet paper each customer can purchase.

Some of the things people are buying make sense, especially nonperishable food and hand sanitizer. Other purchases are more puzzling, among them toilet paper and bottled water – items that are always good to have on hand but with no particular utility in an outbreak of a respiratory virus.

“Honestly – they’re just stocking up, preparing for the end of the world,” said David Dunstan, manager of the Tigard WinCo foods.

Things that might make sense to stock up on before a snowstorm – kale, for example, may not be the right foods to buy during a viral outbreak. Still, emergency response personnel say they’re pleased shoppers are thinking ahead – even if not all their purchasing decisions made sense for this particular crisis.

“Portland is crazy,” said Paula Fasano Negele, spokeswoman for the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. “It seems that whatever happens, people run for water.”

Bottled water is probably unnecessary for the coronavirus outbreak, Negele said. There’s no reason to think the disease will damage the taps. But she said it’s always prudent to have water on hand in case of a natural disaster, like an earthquake or flood.

And other supplies could be essential for people who are exposed to the coronavirus, or contract COVID-19, and have to stay home for at least two weeks to avoid exposing others. She recommends canned foods, rice, beans and other staples.

“If you can’t get out and get food, and you don’t have somebody you can count on (to bring you things), you’d better have two weeks’ of supply,” Negele said.

What to stock for a coronavirus outbreak People who contract COVID-19, and those exposed to the coronavirus, may need to stay home for an extended period to avoid exposing others. Here are some items health officials and emergency personnel recommend: • Have supplies for your family to get by for about two weeks. That includes nonperishable foods like peanut butter, canned foods, soup, energy bars, beans and rice. • Stock up on vital medications. There is concern that manufacturing disruptions in China could limit the supply of some medicines made there. Additionally, acetaminophen and ibuprofen reduce fevers and are good to have on hand in case of infection. • Health experts say handwashing is always the most effective way to prevent the coronavirus, but they say hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes can be effective, too. Those are in short supply right now but stocks are likely to improve soon. • It may not be necessary to stock bottled water for this crisis but it’s always good to have a supply on hand in case of a natural disaster. • Surgeon General Jerome Adams asked people last week not to buy face masks, maintaining they are not effective for the general public and warning that a shortage could endanger health care providers.

Lines at the Tigard Costco were 100 people deep Saturday morning as shoppers rushed to stock up on bulk goods. The warehouse store quickly sold out of toilet paper.

As seen at Costco in Vancouver WA #CoronavirusUSA pic.twitter.com/sPFAGOH1ul — SWESA (@SWESAlerts) March 3, 2020

Sales at the Tigard WinCo were 80% higher on Saturday and Sunday compared to a regular weekend, according to Dunstan.

“When the news broke Friday night, that’s when the rush started,” he said. Dunstan said the store received 11,000 cases of products late Saturday and staff worked through the night to have the store nearly fully stocked by Sunday morning.

“We called all hands on deck and we made it happen,” he said.

-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699

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