miscellaneous prep. ideas

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Preparation Forum : One Thread

MISCELLANEOUS - If you live in a big city, you may want to plan ahead to be with relatives or friends in a smaller town or in the country for a couple of weeks or so as of 12/30/99. Assure your welcome by having plenty of assets to bring: food, water, and 3know how.2 - Appear to have a really big dog. Put a big messy dog dish by your front door, and a giant chewed rawhide bone. Thieves really try to avoid dogs. - Go to a lot of yard sales this summer, with an eye out for useful storage items. If you think outages/shortages will be prolonged, look for good barter items. - Yard sales also a good source of clothing to wear in layers. And for the next few sizes of clothing your fast-growing kids will need. If you think it is likely that store distribution is going to be affected, you9ll want to have clothing for your kids to grow into. - Do not unload all your preparation items and stored food/water if the power is back in mid-January. All the dominos will not have fallen yet! And another crucial rollover date for computers is the several-century 3leap year2 February 1st. So wait until mid-February at least. (Senator Bennett, chair of Senate y2K Committee advises this.) And why not 3be prepared2 on an on-going basis? - Go through your whole house and make a list of what items you should stock extra of. As you go though your day, whenever you use something you should stock, add it to your list. Compare your lists with others9 lists. - Have children make their own lists. They will need interesting things to do if school is out. Art supplies, books, puzzles, board games, toys.... - If you are not on the Internet, get a friend to show you how to access and use it and do so with the free computers at your local public library. There is a wealth of information on the Y2K situation and preparing for Y2K on the internet. You will not find it elsewhere. - You might want to get a crank-powered shortwave/FM/AM radio, so you will know what is happening around the world. Get the extra antenna attachment, which greatly improves reception. I like the Infomate, which gets more bands and also runs off solar. www.twistedoak.com 1-870-453-7248 Or (cheaper) at Northern Tool & Equipment (also other Y2K stuff) www.northern-online.com phone: 1-800-533-5545 (Listen now to world news from other countries9 points of view. Interesting.) - Thoroughly check every thing you buy and every plan you make, to be sure it works. If you need it, 3the store2 will not be open for adjustments, parts, and things you forgot. - If you have been 3thinking about2 preparing but putting it off, get to work today. Do at least one thing each day toward being prepared on 1/1/2000. The sooner you start the easier it will be to find the things you need, and the less you will have to spend on them. And the more supplies there will be left later as others wake up to the fact that they need to prepare. - If you have been paralyzed by feeling that the project is too big, or you don9t know what to do, talk with others who are preparing, for support. Your preparations don9t need to be 3 perfect.2 Nobody9s are. They just need to be good enough to work. - As you become prepared, you will feel much more confident, no matter what happens. - Remember the most important things to always have a big stockpile of - love and peace of mind. - Helping others prepare improves the situation for everyone. more resources: www.amazon.com 80,000 book titles available via internet in 2 days Good place to order the following books. Y2K & Y-O-U by Dermot McGuigan & Beverly Jacobson Anyone considering or planning to use a generator should read their section on generators! Lots of very practical and detailed info. on heating, food, water and sanitation, health, money, etc. Authors associated with Real Goods Renewable Resources. How To Survive Y2K Chaos In The City, Ken & Nancy Eirich Not just for city folks. Packed with detailed info. on preparedness, especially on food storage, cooking. Good lists of general items to store, specialized for babies,toddlers, teens, adults, seniors. Tools list. First aid list. Food lists and storage info. Great cooking info. Fuel consumption charts for several basic stoves and lamps.

-- Shivani Arjuna (S Arjuna@aol.com), July 07, 1999

Answers

Thank you for this great post...a good synopsis to remind us GIs and a good one for us to pass on to DGIs and newbies. You have contributed so much helpful info in your other posts as well, that I wish to thank you on behalf of everyone you are helping! This is the sort of person with whom I hope the survivors will rebuild a more caring, communal society. If one good thing comes out of the bad of Y2K, it will be that we will no longer be living as islands in the midst of suburbia or cities, but will link to one another. Blessings on you also!

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), July 08, 1999.

The significant date for leap year is February 29th (not February 1st). Failures from leap year can happen on Tuesday, February 29th, from "non existent date," and on dates thereafter due to being one day off. On Friday, March 3rd, equipment might act like it's a weekend. Also, on Sunday, December 31st, some computers that have done OK all year being one day off may barf when the year has too many days.

-- Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), July 13, 1999.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ