Residents Are Rattled Into Stocking Up : Quakes: Temblors send droves of panicked procrastinators to markets for emergency supplies and food.

Matti Rosen did something this week she thought she would “never, ever” do. She bought canned vegetables.

“I always use fresh. But I figured better safe than sorry,” Rosen said as she checked out a cart-full of groceries Wednesday at a Ralphs supermarket in the Miracle Mile district.

With the ground still trembling in the desert and geologists talking about the Big One, Rosen was just one of many stocking up on emergency supplies at supermarkets and hardware stores this week. Store managers from Van Nuys to Long Beach reported that sales of everything from batteries to bottled water and wrenches had picked up as shoppers decided to finally heed those long-ignored warnings to be prepared.

If a major quake does hit, Angelenos will survive largely on canned corn, based on a reporter’s extremely unscientific survey. That and bottled water were among the favorite emergency purchases mentioned by a random selection of supermarket patrons.

Rosen’s five children will also be munching on baked beans, crackers, canned soup and green beans. “You have to figure out what they’d like. I’m just pretending I’ll be camping for a few days.”

At the West Hollywood Pavilions, writer Tim Hauser tossed some refried beans and canned chili into his shopping cart, along with bottled water and extra batteries. “Luckily I had coupons for everything, except for the water. I got things that I could eat cold.”

The same thought had occurred to Lon Rubin of Hollywood, who decided he had better buy a can opener that works without power. “I have an electric one,” he said.

He already owns an earthquake kit, given to him by friends two years ago when he moved to San Francisco. He moved back to Southern California last weekend, just hours before Sunday’s twin quakes rattled the region. “My friends say as soon as I arrive, there’s an earthquake,” quipped Rubin, a real estate consultant.

The Price Club in Alhambra didn’t have any earthquake kits, but other emergency gear was going fast. “We’ve been very busy today and yesterday,” Connie Funk, the store’s administrative supervisor, said Tuesday. “A lot of people were buying first-aid kits and fire extinguishers and bottled water. A lot of canned food, corn and peas and vegetable mix. We’re going to have a lot of people with gas the next time we have an earthquake.”

Survival kits of dehydrated food, water purification tablets and first-aid manuals sold out Sunday at the Fedco on La Cienega Boulevard. Business has remained brisk for other items that would come in handy during a quake.

“There’s a lot of activity,” said store manager Joe Albani, glancing at the tables of flashlights, batteries and water tubs that store clerks had set up.

It also has been hectic for the suppliers of earthquake kits. “Our phones have been ringing off the hook,” John Key said happily. His firm, Great Shakes Inc. of Brea, packages earthquake survival kits and sells them to stores.

Tremors are always good for business. “We’re shipping thousands a week now,” he said. “Our sales records are like the New York skyline. They go up and go down.”

At the Los Angeles branch of Sparkletts, calls were pouring in earlier this week. On Monday, spokesman Jeremy Baka said, agents were handling 150 to 175 more calls per hour than usual. In addition to ordering water, customers also wanted to know if the bottles they had stuffed into the back of the closet two years ago were still drinkable.

The answer is yes, although the water may taste a bit like plastic. “As long as the cap’s seal remains unbroken and there are no leaks and cracks in the bottle, the water will last for years,” said Anne Turner, a company technical coordinator.

One of the hot items at a Ralphs in Van Nuys was film. “People are buying film left and right,” said Otto Casas, the store director. “They want to take pictures of their house for insurance purposes.”

Most stores did not seem to have any problem keeping up with the increased demand.

“We have increased business in earthquake-related goods. It’s just not at the level of a major run,” said Al Marasca, executive vice president of retail for Ralphs, which has 156 stores in Southern California.

Along with stocking up, some quake-wary residents were also rearranging their homes.

“I have some gigantic posters in glass that happen to dangle above my bed,” said Hauser, who put them on the floor this week. “I figured if they’re going to fall, it better not be on my head. Plus, they’re expensive.”

Quake Preparedness Kits Experts encourage residents to prepare emergency kits for earthquakes. Although opinions vary as to what should be included in such a kit, here are some basics:

FOR THE CAR Store the following in a nylon backpack or metal or plastic container in the trunk of your car: First-aid kit with bandages, gauze, tape and handbook

Water, two quarts

Personal items: toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, soap, towel, razor, antiseptic cream, aspirins, bandages, gauze and any needed prescriptions

Pocketknife

Leather gloves

Bottle opener

Matches

Flashlight, with extra batteries and bulb

Pocket radio with extra batteries

Blanket

Dehydrated or canned food and snacks

Jumper cables

Screwdriver and crowbar

Plastic trash bags

Pencil and paper

Sterno canned heat

FOR THE HOME The following can be stored in an old barrel or trash can: Flashlight with extra batteries and bulbs

Portable radio with extra batteries

First-aid kit and handbook

Water, one gallon per person per day

Foods: only store canned, powdered, freeze-dried and dehydrated foods--enough to last one week

Personal items: toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, soap, towel, razor antiseptic cream, adhesive tape, alcohol, aspirins, bandages, gauze, and any needed prescriptions

Gloves

Plastic trash bags

Aluminum foil

Household bleach

Tissues

Pocketknife and can opener

Mini barbecue grill or hibachi

Matches, candles and Sterno

Screwdriver, wrench and crowbar

Sleeping bag or blankets

Change of clothes, underwear and shoes

Pencil and paper

Keep copies of important papers, documents, medical history and have cash on hand