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Draw line between prudent and paranoid for Y2K

The Arizona Republic Aug. 13, 1999

If you don't know that modern civilization -- with all of its cushy conveniences -- has only 140 days to go, you're probably among the doubters who haven't done their Y2K survival shopping.

I'm one, too. I've read the frightful predictions of computer crashes on Jan. 1, followed by blackouts, food shortages, anarchy in the streets and even (yikes!) cannibalism, and I've yet to buy a case of canned tuna or a 40-pound bag of rice.

But I've been thinking about it. Why not put away some extra food and water? Even if a Y2K disaster doesn't happen, what's the harm? A few more tuna casseroles next year won't kill me.

Such bourgeois thinking draws ridicule from serious Y2K survivalists, who believe that storing a month of extra food won't cut it. One recent e-mail listed 100 things you'll need that soon may be in short supply.

Many of the items seem reasonable enough: generators, water purifiers, flashlights, seasoned firewood, cook stoves, candles, duct tape, honey, condensed milk, Coleman fuel, charcoal, first-aid kits.

Others suggest life may never be the same: manual grain-grinders, garden seeds, canning supplies, wagons for transport to markets, liquor (for bribes, not drinking), chickens and goats.

The list also has items that anticipate social chaos, such as guns, ammunition, pepper spray, knives, clubs, bats and slingshots. The self-defense advice didn't stop there. Another recommendation was "Big dogs and plenty of dog food."

Special emphasis was placed on matches:

"Buy matches, then buy some more, and then when you think you have over-bought, double the number you have and then double it again, and maybe you will be OK. But it would not hurt to buy more."

Millennium bug jitters also have prompted big-ticket purchases. In the past year, Kyocera Solar, a Scottsdale-based solar electric company, has sold several hundred "Y2K Survivor Systems" priced at $8,199. The packages include solar panels, a propane refrigerator, electric inverter and batteries.

Some people don't think even the most elaborate precautions will be adequate to make it in a city. At www.y2kclassifieds.com, those who fear the worst can hook up with like-minded types seeking refuge on remote farms and ranches.

The Web site also includes a personals section for people looking for a survival partner. Larry, who lives in Colorado, placed an ad seeking "the companionship, love and support of a woman who is concerned about the Y2K mess we will soon have upon us."

He described himself as 48, very fit, very attractive, humorous and "well-educated with a great wit" -- just the sort of man a woman might like to be blacked out with. He assured his future mate that he has spent the past eight months planning and shopping to make sure they could be self-sufficient "for at least a year or more."

Although I don't think the nation's Y2K problems will require any such extensive preparations, I'm mindful of Ben Franklin's warning that "A little neglect may breed great mischief." I also recall an old story about the virtue of being properly equipped.

Legend has it that England's King Richard III lost his life in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 not for lack of courage or enough cavalry, but because of something even more basic.

On the morning of the decisive attack, an aide took his horse to a blacksmith, who quickly fastened three shoes but was short a nail for the fourth.

The blacksmith said he could hammer out another nail, but the impatient aide said he couldn't take the time, so the fourth shoe was put on less securely.

Charging into battle, the horse threw the loose shoe and fell. Richard was thrown to the ground and killed, hence the moral: "For want of a nail, a shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, a horse was lost. For want of a horse, the battle was lost. . . ."

I'm willing to concede that being ill-prepared can be costly, but there's a line between prudent and paranoid. I'll take my chances my family will be able to get by without goats or grain-grinders.

***

Steve Wilson can be reached at steve.wilson@pni.com via e-mail or at 1-602-444-8775. Copyright 1999, Arizona Central Search The Republic's Archives | Subscribe to The Republic

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), August 13, 1999

Answers

I hope for the sake of his family that he has a change of heart.

People living in the Phoenix, Arizona area have several advantages over most of the rest ov the country...for example, we don't fear ice storms. Phoenix was the ONLY city to not suffer riots after the Rodney King fiasco. And, there are only a handful of high rise appartment buildings in the entire Valley of the Sun.

That being said, we know how bad it will get regarding basics...WATER and sewer won't make it. So we know that we have to store water. We are storing Minute rice and canned beans because the dry stuff takes too much water to prepare. Like I said, that writer should reconsider.

-- K. Stevens (kstevens@It's ALL going away in January.com), August 13, 1999.

Doesn't sound middle of the road to me. Just sounds like another wise- ass writer trying to be clever-on-demand.

"If you don't know that modern civilization -- with all of its cushy conveniences -- has only 140 days to go, you're probably among the doubters who haven't done their Y2K survival shopping.

I'm one, too. I've read the frightful predictions of computer crashes on Jan. 1, followed by blackouts, food shortages, anarchy in the streets and even (yikes!) cannibalism, and I've yet to buy a case of canned tuna or a 40-pound bag of rice.

But I've been thinking about it. Why not put away some extra food and water? Even if a Y2K disaster doesn't happen, what's the harm? A few more tuna casseroles next year won't kill me..."

Even middle of the roaders take this at least a LITTLE seriously.

"I'll take my chances my family will be able to get by without goats or grain-grinders."

He's not thinking of his family, he's thinking of his "reputation" and his ego.

-- (dot@dot.dot), August 13, 1999.

It's interesting to me that the food editors are doing a better job of researching Y2K than the so-called reporters. The Arizona Republic actually printed some good info on Y2K about a month ago:

http://www.azcentral.com/food/y2k.shtml

-- Sally Strackbein (sally@y2kkitchen.com), August 13, 1999.

Hey, lighten up, on the writer. I'm praying that more people will say, "What's the harm, in an extra can of tuna, or two", because then they might say, "Well...maybe four", and then, "Maybe a case", then, "Hey, these empty 2 liter pop bottles would be good for storing a little water" and then "Maybe a lot of water" and so on and so on.

Sometimes it's easier to meet a nightmare head on, if you break it down into small chunks, instead of pondering the overwhelming totality.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), August 13, 1999.

People don't realize that they would have to drink several hundred liters of soda pop in order to fill enough with water to sustain a family of 4 for 2 weeks! Water is the MOST important item to have stockpiled. People will die from dehydration before starvation. It is important to have empty containers available to catch rainwater which in turn can be used to flush the toilet and for bathing and washing clothing. Got buckets? Got plastic gutter pipe?

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), August 13, 1999.