County Sheriff stocks food (Calif)

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Oroville Mercury-Register (has site, but no archives)

Butte County (California) sheriff prepared for Y2K

Mackenzie hoards food just in case

Whatever the uncertainties of the coming millennium, Butte County Sheriff's officers certainly won't go hungry.

Like a squirrel storing nuts for a cold winter, for the past couples of months Shefiff Scott Mackenzie has been busily stocking up food for his employees, their families and inmates at the county jail in the event of a Y2K computer-related emergency.

Racks of freshly-slaughtered hogs lie alongside stores of dried and canned foods in three large freezers in the jail kitchen, which the sheriff has dubbed his "Y2K meat lockers."

While Mackenzie said he personally doesn't believe the warnings, he wants to be prepared in the event computers back up on Jan. 1, 2000, which some experts fear could paralyze vital services and lead to widespread power outages and food and water shortages.

By that date, Mackenzie expects to have enough food to last a minimum of two weeks for some 450 inmates in the county jail and all 231 sheriff's employees and their families.

Mackenzie has also intalled additional electrical generators outside a newly-built communication center and another inside the jail kitchen that would kick in the event of a prolonged power outage.

"We don't think this will be more than a BITR, but we must prepare for the worst," Mackenzie observed.

....the sheriff has given his staff an October deadline to amass the emergency stores of food.

Normally, about 1,350 meals are served at the county jail each day, he said.

The sheriff estimates that the additional larder will feed nearly three times that number for a minimum of two weeks.

July 30, 1999

-- Anon (anon@anon.anon), August 07, 1999

Answers

Ever see a more blatent case of saying one thing while doing just the opposite? Those inmates may be the best fed residents of Butte County. I can just see the starving hordes storming the Bastile to get at those stores!

-- Ralph Kramden (and@awaywego.com), August 07, 1999.

I wish all sheriffs were doing what McKenzie is doing. It means there will likely be a delay before his staff starts "appropriating" food from others if TSHTF.

-- Margaret (janssm@aol.com), August 07, 1999.

Stock up NOW.

The JIT distribution system is VERY thin and can NOT handle any sudden increases in consumer demand.

You must make your necessary purchases NOW before the herd sniffs the warning breezes and stampedes.

Stock up NOW!

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), August 07, 1999.


My Sheriff (Plumas County.. also in Calif.) is also stocking up on food for those in jail. And he is preparing for TWO MONTHS of disruptions... cancelled leaves (of course) and extra fuel and generators.. alternate communications, etc. His men will be posted at the grocery stores and any other sensitive sites on rollover. I am encouraged that he is a GI... but he seems to be in a very small majority. Folks around here are used to occassional power outages due to winter storms, but there are many who still rely on electricity for everything, including heat. And stockups for *normal* winter storms typically happen about the time the flakes start falling. I'm afraid that the constant repetition of the 2-3 day storm mantra has them thinking they have this thing wired.. no problemo. But that means they can wait till the last minute.. like usual... and when they try it the last few days of the year they will be competing with everyone else.. not just in our town, but in the whole WORLD. YIKES!

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), August 07, 1999.

Linda, I'm glad you are aware of the forthcoming problems.

Don't you wish everyone was?

But we're dreaming. If the government doesn't stress mandatory preparations soon, then many will die.

It won't be my fault. I've warned many, but they won't listen...

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), August 07, 1999.



i particularly like the way trying to save the lives of close to 500 people by pre-planning is called "hoarding", as though the sheriff was stealing food from the towns-people to do it.

-- sarah (qubr@aol.com), August 08, 1999.

As Spock would say: "Most Curious". Yet another example of a law enforcement official thinking ahead in practical terms rather than thinking about conflict avoidance, job preservation and politics.

Are rural sheriffs the only LEO's capable of anticipating a crisis and taking premptive steps? Seems like. (sigh)

-- Greg Lawrence (greg@speakeasy.org), August 08, 1999.


For what it's worth, Mackenzie is a Republican, and has been Sheriff for a couple of years.

-- minnie (minnie@minnieme.com), August 08, 1999.

To Minnie@minnie - I live in the Sheriff's county and he has only been Sheriff for less than a year.

-- johan (reisch@c-zone.net), August 10, 1999.

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