FEMA and some state officials and the Gartner Group are predicting at worse we should expect a snow-storm, tornado, or hurricane. They are invariably advising to stock up with food, water, and fuel for two weeks. No more will be required. People don't need to go into panic mode.

I would like to know what they are basing this advice on. Do they know how many snow-storms, tornadoes, and/or hurricanes, we are all going to be dealing with at any given time?

Are they saying that after years of trying to fix this problem if all the programmers and tehno's don't quite make it by December 31, 1999, they just need the first two weeks in January, 2000, to finish the job off!!!!!

I'm not a rocket scientist so I guess I just don't get it.

-- Carol (usa-uk@email.msn.com), January 24, 1999

Answers

Carol, they did a statistical study and some polls, and found that two weeks of preparation was the psychological threshold limit for average JQP to be willing to prepare.

It used to be 72-hours was the standard recommendation. FEMA etc. wants to push it to 3 months; we'll see what they're saying by December 1999. Right now they're trying to gather "hard" proven factual evidence as to exactly what Y2K disruptions will bring, and all indications are contradictory.

If ppl do prepare for two weeks, at least it's a nudge and start and helps condition them emotionally for adding to their preps.

Baby-stepping, baby-stepping thru the Y2K tool-blips, sung to the tune of Tiptoeing Thru The Tulips ...

Ashton & Leska in Cascadia

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-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), January 24, 1999.

Well, Y2K aside, one thing we do know, and can extrapolate, for 1999 and 2000, is the natural disasters ARE getting worse. Preparing for those unknowns is just prudent too.

Leska, maybe the government's Y2K theme song should be "Tiptoeing Through The Landmines..."

Diane

See the PBS transcript ... YEAR OF DISASTERS -- Phil Ponce recalls a year of devastating weather with Janet Abramovitz, senior researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, Bob Watson, director of the Environment Department at the World Bank; and John Clizbe, vice president of disaster services at the American Red Cross. ...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/weather/july-dec98/weather_12- 29.html

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), January 24, 1999.

Locally, the 8-9 subduction zone earthquake Cascadia is expecting will be worse than Y2K. Natural disasters will not end even after Infomagic's devolution has righted itself. All evidence points to increasing shake-ups by Mother Nature. Man-made disasters can only increase until man evolves, s-l-o-w plodding which is snail-sliming along.

So, PREPARE. Even if you have a case of Y2K snickers, look at history and recent events, and be prepared for disruption and relocation: The only sensible way to proceed.

Ashton & Leska in Cascadia

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-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), January 24, 1999.

Here in the "backwoods hills" of western Maine I and neighbors have pretty much always been preparing. During the ice storm of '98 we lost power for 13 days. Because we're hooked up to CMP, our local electric provider, we had to switch over to a generator. Some of my neighbors never missed a beat because they never had AC coming into their houses. I guess it might pay off afterall for being "backwards" and "out of touch". It is not uncommon for those of us to have 500-1,000 quarts of garden veggies and home grown meat in the pantry. By the way, we are both teachers and fully expect to be at least "suspended" with or without pay for the month(s) of Jan. and/or Feb. 2000, perhaps longer. 95% of our co-workers are "clueless" re: Y2K.

-- Ed (ed_carl7@hotmail.com), January 24, 1999.

I recall an article about a month ago (Westergaard site?) that indicated a warning to prepare for 3 days would be interpreted as no need to do anything, a 3 month advisory would be ignored, but 2 weeks altho probably not nearly long enough would perhaps let the emergency shelters get set up.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), January 24, 1999.