Have you taken any special precaustions for Jan 1st? Do you have tons of canned foods, stored water, personal heaters, etc...or are you relatively relaxed about it?--Al

-- Al Schroeder (al.schroeder@nashville.com), December 26, 1999

Answers

we took some precautions - we are storing about 30 gallons of drinking water, beefed up the dry staples and laid in some edibles that do not heat, water or refrigeration.

our feeling is that there may a day or two of problems - we are not in the survivalist mode as we feel that if there are going to be long time complications playing by ear will be more valuable than a huge store of something you don't need. we will have a small amount of cash on hand to take care for us for a day or two.

-- ici jongleur (ionoi@webtv.net), December 26, 1999.

Well, both luckily and unluckily, I'm not traveling over January 1st, so I guess that's a precaution I've taken (though not by choice). What else... I've checked out the computer, of course, and made sure it's not going to crash on me. That'd be tragic. Other than that, we really haven't taken too many precautions. As always, we have food stored up, but that's just us. We can't get out of Sam's without at least one cart overflowing with food. So I guess I'm pretty relaxed about the whole thing. I figure, so many people have made such a huge deal about it that the odds are nothing will happen.

Piper

-- Piper (piperdane@yahoo.com), December 26, 1999.

I've taken the precaution of being in the remote midwest on New Year's. I live in LA, and I wanted to be far away from that many people at once on such a religiously/politically significant date.

Now, computers on the other hand- I'm not so worried about them. At most, we will be inconveniences. People, though- people frighten me.

-- Brianna Privett (occupant@brianna.org), December 26, 1999.

I don't really see the need for precautions. At the most.. water may be needed, but anything other than that, I don't think will be critical. I mean, what could happen? I highly doubt the world is comming to an end. And say the computers crash- I'm sure we can live with out them for awhile. Of course, that's easy for me to say now..

-- Jen (nyc@echoside.net), December 26, 1999.

I've bought some wood for the fireplace. We didn't have any (much) during the power outage of Feb. '94, and had power out for two days during the winter cold. My Mother was quite ill and suffered greatly. I've also bought a propane camp stove, lantern, etc., some sterno, extra batteries, canned food, some extra bottled water, etc. I will be filling bottles with water and adding a few drops of bleach to each before new year's eve. The Red Cross says that it is prudent to prepare as though for a winter storm lasting 3to 7 days. That seems sensible to me. BTW, FWIW, a local group put on a TV program back in september where they asked various people involved in emergency preparedness what *they themselves* were doing to prepare for Y2K, and many of them had from 3 weeks to 3 months of supplies set aside. So, I think there is more danger of being underprepared than overprepared. I will also be filling tubs, etc., on New Year's Eve.

-- Joe Shedlock (joeshedlock@mindspring.com), December 27, 1999.

I will clean up the place a bit. I don't want the mutants getting a bad impression when they break down the door trying to steal my canned goods...er, that's Omega Man, I guess.

Or I'll practice my line, "Get your hands off me you dirty apes!" ...er, that's the Planet of the Apes.

?

-- cg (coryglen@yahoo.com), December 27, 1999.

My son will be in Seattle, but he and the girlfriend plan to leave her concert and go straight home, so with luck they will be there by the stroke of the clock. (And away from the Space Needle, is what I'm thinking.)

We never go out on New Year's Eve, but this year we are adding fireworks. It's not a new century, it's not a new millenium, but it's a nice number of 0s.

Our local terrorists made me a little more aware of the danger of other folks. We have a little money set aside, a little water, batteries, fuel (not too cold here, we can cook outside on the BBQ if we must.) Only enough for a couple of days, I'm not expecting major hassles, just a slew of minor ones (nibbled to death by ducks, as my Mom would have said.)

As long as the phone works: I want to know what the girlfriend said to the aforementioned son!

-- Jan (fossilfreak@geocities.com), December 27, 1999.

Well, we have about 15 gallons of water, some extra non-perishable food, enough cash to last about a week...and enough stocking candy to last till next christmas....our kids are the only grandchildren for both my parents and my wife's parents...so they go a little overboard, as they should...

-- Bob Beltran (kelly-bob@excite.com), December 27, 1999.

we haven't taken any more precautions for the new year than we already have considering we live in "the earthquake state": extra water, batteries, canned foods, charcoal; that sort-of stuff. i am planning on leaving one car out of the garage though, just in case the electricity isn't working, but that's about it.

-- hez (lmjaliashez42@hotmail.com), December 27, 1999.

I already have warm clothes, lots of candles, and some days worth of food. A bit of drinking water too. I live in Norway so any social disruption is very unlikely. You atomic powers keep your rockets in the silos and this will all go well.

-- Magnus Itland (itlandm@netcom.no), December 27, 1999.

No, just praying my little old puter is ready. :-) That way I can write the mayor a letter if the big city lied about being ready. LOL

-- Bonnie (steelers1@express-news.net), December 30, 1999.