My daughter lives in a fairly large apartment complex in Orange, California. She called me Thursday night to tell me the tenants received letters in their mailboxes from management.

Here is what it contained.

Tenants are forbidden to use candles, camp stoves, gas grills or any means of cooking with an open flame.

They are not allowed to use oil lamps or coleman lanterns.

They were told to store water and food but the food must be consumed cold if there is no electricity. They didn't say anything about solar ovens perhaps they don't know about them.

We both knew that danger of fire was the concern but I have been trying to convince her for over 9 mos. now to prepare. Guess what did it?

One little letter lol.

I backed up my concern in October and sent her a healthy check to purchase what she might need. Now she is working hard to catch up. Thank God for small favors.

P.S. I did try to tell her to come home but she wouldnt hear of it.

-- Susan Barrett (sue59@bellsouth.net), December 04, 1999

Answers

With all these snippets of scarey information out there, why don't more people GI? Just wondering...

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 04, 1999.

Susan,

Without the ability to heat food, it looks pretty bleak.

Sardines, perhaps??

-- K. Stevens (kstevens@ It's ALL going away in January.com), December 04, 1999.

Oh really? That would not stand up in a court of law. This should be reported to FEMA and the Red Cross immediately! The apartment owner and manger should be thrown in jail.

-- screw them (screwthem@screwthemm.xcom), December 04, 1999.

All I can think to say is F&%K those Nazi's. Eat their food cold!? Who do these bastards think they are? As KoS would say....."GAWD"!

-- (cavscout@fix.net), December 04, 1999.

The landlord had to send them that. That way he won't get sued when some idiot uses a charcoal grill inside and dies from carbon monoxide.

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), December 04, 1999.

I still think the personal hygiene issues are going to be paramount in many large buildings. If the toilets don't flush, then what? Not one more day will those buildings be useful. OK, maybe one.

200 people live in a highrise and the toilets don't flush - what do they do? 500 people work in a highrise and the toilets don't flush. Same question. You can't just go outside and shit in the backyard - not for long, anyway.

Compost, people, compost. Fill up some buckets with sawdust; it makes great compost for humanure. Go to any sawmill or woodworker's place - plenty of sawdust. Don't throw your leaves away. You can throw your humanure in a pile, cover it with sawdust or leaves, and that will not only compost it but it will keep flies and other disease issues away.

-- paul leblanc (bronyaur@gis.net), December 04, 1999.

Humm.

Recommend a solar oven Real Goods sells and "emergency back-up version with cook pot for $35.00.

Diane

Real Goods web-site...

http://www.realgoods.com/

Click on: Outdoor Living and look for:

63-576
Solar Cookit
$34.95

Click link for description...

A $35 Solar Cooker For Camping And Emergency

The Solar Cookit, a hybrid of solar box and solar concentrator cookers, includes a foil-laminated foam reflector that folds flat to1544 x 1344 x 244. The reflector, now water and crush proof, also includes a 3-quart black-enameled covered steel pot, and two high- temperature cooking bags that help hold in the heat.

It's highly portable and easily stored for camping or emergency use, and is large enough to easily feed three to five people. Makes a comfy seat when not in use as a cooker!

This complete, family-sized solar cooker kit is made by the non-profit Solar Cookers International group. This group provides solar cookers and information to developing countries where fuel shortages are a constant problem. Sales of Solar Cookit supports their good work. USA.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 04, 1999.

A solar oven isn't a panacea for apartment dwellers. In some areas clear winter days are infrequent; in many apartments little sun enters at best.

Using the oven outside in winter presents a heat-loss challenge, and might be too public a venue in some situations.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), December 04, 1999.

Paul LeBlanc:

Outdoor biffies in the parking lot would be a suggestion. Another idea would be indoor portable toilets. Yet another would be places on each floor of a high rise building or apartment where refuse could be picked up and taken to a disposal site each day.

I think that the alternative of moving everyone to a shelter that has such provisions is untenable. Too many people would be involved in larger metropolitan areas, particularly.

During the prolonged power outage that occurred in Auckland, New Zealand early last year, such hygiene problems were humongous in the buildings in the business district that continued to be used and had no running water.

Plan ahead.

Non-potable water for washing up, toilet paper, and paper towels too.

Most of these issues were raised by an intrepid member of the audience at the BOMA Building Summit in March of 1999 in Washington DC. There was much tittering in the audience and little indication that anyone was seriously considering the need for such contingencies. I have not looked at the BOMA site since to see if they have seen the light about such matters.

-- ditty-dum-dum-ditty (ditty-dum-dum- ditty@SOS.com), December 04, 1999.