Y2K Advice

• Water: this is the most important item. You can live without food, heat, electrical power, money, and airlines for long periods. But you cannot live without water for more than three days. I have acquired several 55-gallon drums, and plan to fill them shortly before January 1, 2000. I advise storing sufficient water for several weeks' usage. You will need much more water than you think. Consider how much you use--not just for drinking, but also for cooking, bathing, rinsing, and personal hygiene. The largest water receptacles in the average person's home are the water heater and the bathtub. If you do nothing else before the new millennium, at least fill your bathtub!
• Food: for carbohydrates, I have several 5-gallon pickle buckets full of various grains. For protein and fresh vegetables, I plan to get lots of sproutable seeds and beans. I suggest reading The Beansprout Book by Gay Courter (Simon and Schuster, 1973). Sprouts are the perfect Y2K food: cheap, fresh, highly nutritious, and easy to grow. Just add water! They are also simple to store: they take up very little room and last indefinitely.
• Power: all of the major electric power utilities have completed their Y2K testing. I believe they will not be affected by computer problems due to the date change. Before this was announced, I was concerned. I investigated buying a solar power system to generate emergency power. Such systems are much more environmentally responsible than a generator, though they are more expensive initially. I still think it's a good idea, even for its own sake, and I plan to eventually get one. The state of North Carolina offers an income tax credit of 40% of the cost of installing solar power (maximum $1500 per year). Other states have similar programs.