This is something that Preppers know and bureaucracy fails at. The way to use a stockpile is on a FIFO process and never allow the stash to go stale. Take 25 year survival food, After 3 years, use 5% of it every year and replace it. The same thing for anything that has a shelf life. Old ammunition is worrisome, get some range time with it.
On the other hand there are things for accumulation. I love silver dimes & quarters and have them stashed in a home safe. If we get a SHTF, they would spend a lot easier than gold. My problem is that I can’t easily find more now.
Ventilators? I remember living in South Carolina in the 1970s. One winter there was a real heavy, freak snowstorm that fell all the way to Savanah. It brought the entire state to a halt. It was a 50-100 year event. So what did you hear in the news? At least one vacuum-skull legislator wanted to buy snow-removal equipment for a future repeat event. I remember thinking did he own a warehouse or did he own Caterpillar stock!
You’ve hit on the crux of the matter with your comment.
Woo-Hoo Flu is a 100-year event.
It simply makes no economic sense to remain in a constant state of readiness for 100-year events.
I'm auctioning off 100 Roosie dimes right now but there's lots there.