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Help Prepare Your Family For
A Hurricane, Ice Storm, Flood... |
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Oops, don't forget these!
Make sure you have a hand-operated can opener - and another for a neighbour. And lots of matches. You can buy wind-up flashlights and radios. Fill up your car's gas tank in late December. Get and store spare gasoline in some safe place (check with the fire department for safe storing suggestions). Unplug all appliances. Make sure the stove is turned off.
An oil-company expert told me that gasoline can be stored for about six months (twelve if you add a conditioner which, say, a lawn-mower repair shop could probably sell you); after that, some additives precipitate which could gum up the works. No matter its age, it'll always make a heck of a bonfire, so be cautious as can be!
What else will I need?
Begin a list, writing down every article you use, so that you can stock up on supplies. See www.y2kwomen.com for a pre-made list. Look for long-lasting tetra-packed milk and custards; vacuum-sealed sausages; get 'instant oats,' corn meal, Cream of Wheat, Cup-a-Soup, beef jerky, dried fruit... matches, batteries, soap, candles, chocolate bars, coffee, contraceptives (remember: no TV!), powdered milk - you name it! - all will be needed by you and/or your neighbours. Don't forget very thick (= warm) sleeping bags, and fire extinguishers (large size if you live in an apartment building).
Get masking tape, and duct tape. Save all plastic bags. Get several plastic drop sheets (for tents above beds), 100 feet of strong 1/4-inch cord, 6 large-sized, heavy duty screw-eyes; chlorine bleach (not the perfumed kind); Tang or such to mask chlorine's taste; manual shavers; wine, cheese and crackers.... Get your neighbourhood organized and working together. United we may stand, separated we will fall, especially in a city. See www.utne.com/y2k for suggestions on how to organize your neighbourhood.
The pipes might freeze...
To drain your water pipes, turn off the main water supply. Next, turn on the taps in the basement and open your taps in the top-floor bathroom so that air will escape. Detach and drain laundry and dishwasher hoses. Drain the water heater at the last moment, as it's a drinking-water reservoir. Get some windshield washer anti-freeze in case you need to protect your toilets. Wrap a lot of cloth around the main water supply pipe that leads outside (and that will have water in it) to help stop it from freezing and rupturing.
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