First of all, I want to thank Rod for starting this new forum. It will be a great new tool for everyone who is trying to keep informed on y2k; we can all use someplace to "vent" about more personal subjects!

I guess I'm just feeling like I'm in a little over my head with this whole thing. I'm a 24 year old college student on a VERY tight budget. I've just recently become informed about how dismal the outlook is for y2k, and I thank God that my immediate family is approaching the matter as seriously as I am. We're all working together to get prepared for this, each of us taking on different tasks (e.i., I am EMT certified, so I'm in charge of getting together any kind of medical/hygiene supplies.)

I went to Costco today and spent several hours wandering up and down the aisles, making mental lists of what I need to buy, and trying not to panic. I've heard from many sources that things could start breaking down, shortages could start happening the beginning of 1999, only six short months away. How on earth am I going to be able to buy everything that I need for an emergency situation that will last an indefinite period of time, possibly years? How many packages of vitamins do I buy, how many cases of soap, how many bottles of aspirin?! What is too much, what is too little, and HOW DO I AFFORD IT ALL?!?

I'm sure that there are quite a few people that are dealing with the same delimma. But as the whole situation sinks in more and more, I have to fight the urge that much harder to not panic. I realize that I'm in a much better situation than a lot of people because my family is all working together and we can pool our resources together. I've read about too many people that can't convince anyone around them to believe that we could be heading for such a crisis, and I'm grateful that my family is so openminded. But it's still scary.

Okay, I think I feel better. I've vented. Thanks to whoever had the patience to read all of that. :)

Keep positive thoughts- Amanda

-- Amanda (manda_panda_@hotmail.com), June 10, 1998

Answers

Hi Amanda, thanks for contributing. I too, am in EMS (EMT/S) and I'm the only one on my service who takes y2k seriously. I fully believe that our antiquated 911 dispatch system will stop on 1/1/00. I think the state does too. They are trying to mandate a switch to all new 800mhz radios, at a cost of 3500.00 each. Services such as mine cannot afford this (our total would be $85,000.) And many real small services have hardly any budget at all. I don't know where it's headed but I don't like it.

Rod

-- Rod (rod_harmon@usa.net), June 10, 1998.

Amanda, My husband is a chiropractor, and we get a ton of magazines in the mail with health care (including medical stuff) supplies at wholesale costs. We also have the names of many suppliers of vitamins, although all I would worry about would be the Vitamin C. If you've stocked up on food supplies and seeds, chances are you'll be eating healthier after the year 2000 than you are now. We also have info on wholistic medicine and supplies if you're interested. I've never really taken the time to compare many of the prices to those in the store, but I'm sure you could save some money ordering direct from these companies. Thank you for the letter you wrote, it reminded me of something I hadn't even thought of before. Aspirin!!! Being married to a chiropractor, we havn't had any in our house for 13 years, and the thought of buying it had never crossed my mind. I'm hoping our good health continues and we would need it, but I'm sure others who will be coming to stay with us will, as well as it being a good barter item. Thanks!

-- Lynn (Lynncarey@usa.net), June 10, 1998.

Amanda, Who might not feel overwhelmed? I'm a nurse (25 yrs). The routine health and first aid issues seem do-able, but the rest...Living in So. Calif., it's likely I'll have to relocate (quickly), cash in my IRA, sell my house, buy food, seed...

By the way, the biomed dept.in my 210 bed hospital made an inventory last week of the electronic equipment we use that will have to be fixed for y2k. It was done quietly. I'll give them some time to study the problem, then I'll ask if they can fix it in time. Our computer analysts declare we are already complient in that dept.

As an EMT, you already have so many valuable skills - your family is lucky! Bear in mind most first aid can be done well with supplies found in your household, ie dressings and wraps can be made with white cotton cloth (Wash some with bleach to sterilize and dry in the sunshine, wrap in likewise prepared cloth & keep it in a dry clean place.)

NASA research proved air quality can be enhance by house plants (Check out a book called "How to Grow Fresh Air" by Dr. B.C.Wolverton

Unless you need surgery, dialysis, or other hi tech or chemical care, much of healthcare can be provided in practical ways. Natural antibiotics include topical castor, lavendar, and tea tree oils. Add to the diet (and the garden) garlic, echinacea with goldenseal. An herbal reference book with pictures might be useful.

If your family is planning to grow an organic garden, you probably will get quality vitamins and minerals without buying them in bottles. Have you considered keeping rabbits or other vegitarian animals to produce excellent fertilizer for your garden? A raised (wire bottom) rabbit hutch will create hundreds of usefull earthworms in the pile beneath. Heh, then you could keep a trout pond and fish with the worms!

When you think about it, it seems like a huge lifestyle change, but the components work together. It's good you have a team. Good luck! and thanks for sharing..It does feel good to talk about it :), Candice

-- Candice (zpoint@home.com), June 10, 1998.

Hi Amanda!

Just want to mention a couple of important items that should be on your shopping list. In case you haven't considered the availability of anti-biotics when things shut down, you might want to check out 'colloidal silver' which has been historically known to kill over 650 pathogens, including virus, fungi, and bacteria. However, since the quality, potency, and effective shelf life of c.s. is often questionable, many health care professionals recommend making your own. I don't sell c. s., but I do manufacture and market colloidal silver generators, and offer them at less than half the price of our competitors.

The other item is a non-toxic bactericide, Aerobic '07', which is a stabilized oxygen product. Unlike hydrogen peroxide or chlorine bleach, which are both very unstable, Aerobic '07' has an unlimited shelf life. Six drops will purify a gallon of water, and an ounce will keep 55 gal. safe for a period of five years! In addition, '07' can be used as an effective produce rinse, surface disinfectant, and to increase the oxygen content of the organism.

If you want information on either of these unique products, e-mail roy@techcomm.net.

-- Roy Cave (roy@techcomm.net), June 17, 1998.

Schedule

Amanda, I know that feeling. Don't envy you. Here's what I did, if it's of any value to you:

1. I sat down and listed all the tasks that I might have to concern myself with. These included the biggies (water, food, fuel, heat for winter in the mountains, garden seeds), and they included some of lesser importance.

2. Then, for each major task I listed sub-tasks. For example, I decided that I could only handle food by making several buys. Some of these would be long storage life foods and were only available (for me) from distant suppliers. Other buys would be at Sams.

3. I listed the items I would get, for each sub-task. I didn't try to buy the full boat's worth of any one item on any buy.......buy a little, store, it, then buy some more. That way, if I sensed that Y2K might turn out to be less of a problem than expected I could always stop buying [haven't done that yet!!!!!]

4. Now, I began scheduling buys. If you were to start today, you'd have a full 18 months until 00. I allowed a good period of time on the back end in case of public panic.....it don't want to be in Sams with 15,000 screaming, pushing people, competing for the last can of peas. I put all of this on paper.

5. Finally, I just began to work to this schedule. Since it's written down I can always see what I have to do. I can also see what I've accomplished.

6. Neither the task list nor the schedule are inflexible. I've already modified the setup I'll use to generate power as I looked, and read, and looked some more, and read some more. That's OK.....because I also gave myself a learning period up front. Since you'll be dealing with a field that you already know, you don't have the learning period. You might also have more time on the back.....the mob will be in Sams, not Cosco.

Anyway, just work slowly through these lists. Nothing has to be done yesterday. It just all has to come together at the end.

Oh yes, no matter how well you plan, and no matter how well you execute the plan, you won't be perfect, so don't beat yourself over the head if you miss something. You'll get 99.9% of it right, and you'll get the most important stuff. That's why a written plan beats running around willy-nilly. [It also calms me down to realize that I'm doing what I should be doing.]

Regards,

Rocky

-- Rocky Knolls (rknolls@hotmail.com), June 26, 1998.