Found this on one of Gary North's Forums:...comments? Ideas?

Posted by Julianne Wiley on June 06, 1998 at 19:30:48:

Dear folks,

I wrote up the following text which I will leafet in my city, especially in the "Projects" and other low-income neighborhoods. Poor people who don't have a saving acct., a country place, or Internet service need to be alerted about what might be coming down the track--- and that the time for them to begin preparing is NOW> This awareness + action will help people be responsible for their own families' well-being. I think it's also worth mentioning that of vulnerable, low-income people near you are somewhatr prepared, it will lessen the temptatiion to housebreaking or rioting.

Sorry this is so long. But please, I'd like some feedback on this. Has anybody else tried leafletting?

----[text of leaflet]------------

< SURVIVAL >

Many computer experts now believe that a technical problem known as Y2K or the Year 2000 Bug could shut down portions of the US electrical power grid for weeks or months starting on or around January 1, 2000 (18 months from now.) If the electrical power grid goes down in an entire region (like Upper East Tennessee) city water/sewer services will stop. Natural gas pipelines will stop. Welfare, Unemployment and many other checks will stop. Grocery stores may be unable to re-stock empty shelves. Many jobs will disappear. And you may not be able to get your money out of the bank.

We realize this is frightening. And this is no joke. If you have Internet, you can search it for yourself by using keywords Y2K or Year 2000. or by reading carefully what youll find at:

http://www.nypostonline.com/news/2878.htm

http://www.y2knet.com/

http://www.garynorth.com/

Theres no need for hysteria. We have 18 months lead time. 18 months to gather the facts, make our own judgments, and respond in a reasonable, non-panic-driven way. Thats over 70 weeks to prepare for the well-being of ourselves and our loved ones.

What EXACTLY will happen? How long will the crisis last? Frankly, nobody knows. But all of the above on-line experts say it would be smart to prepare for widespread power breakdowns bad enough to shut down city water/sewer services, and lasting from a few weeks to a few months--- in the wintertime. (And it could be a lot worse in some parts of the country than in others.) Think about it.

WATER: EVERY FAMILY should get suitable storage containers for 1 gallon of water per person per day --- thats for drinking/cooking, and not much for washing!---for the length of the power breakdown. Thats 35 gallons/week minimum for a family of 5. Thats 140 gallons if the breakdown lasts a month.

Q: Youre kidding. Where am I going to store 140 gallons of water in my house? A: Were not kidding. You can get square stackable 5-gal storage containers (we can tell you how) and stack 28 of them in your garage, your basement, or even your bedroom closet. Its do-able.

FOOD: EVERY FAMILY should start NOW to store up a food surplus. Every time you go shopping, buy extra: Dry milk. Peanut butter. Tuna. Macaroni. Multi-vitamins. If you start now by buying a little extra each week, you should be able to end up with 2 pounds of nourishing foods per person per day of the crisis. For a family of 5, thats 70 pounds of food per week. Or 280 pounds if the crisis lasts a month.

Q: Now youre really kidding. Where am I going to store 280 pounds of food? A: Still not kidding. Under every bed, table, and sofa. And of course in closets and garages.

HEAT/LIGHT: EVERY FAMILY which now has an electric or natural gas furnace and oven/stove, should consider switching to propane or wood or some other alternative. Y2K power disruptions COULD stop the network that pumps natural gas. Make sure you have extra blankets, warm clothes, and a good, warm sleeping bag especially for each one of your children and any elderly family members.

You also need to stock up on 50-hour-type emergency candles, flashlights and batteries, plus kerosene or oil lamps suitable for indoor/outdoor use. And by the way: do you know how to dig a latrine?

Q: So where do I get the money to buy sleeping bags and kerosene heaters and lanterns and stuff?

A: You have more than 70 weeks to prepare. Save $7 each week and thats $490. Hit the second-hand clothing stores and yard sales. Get warm socks, thermal underwear, turtleneck sweaters, a kerosene heater and a Coleman (camping) stove. And set some $$ aside for buying kerosene and camp fuel.

MONEY: EVERY FAMILY, by December 1999, should have at least one months cash in hand. If the value of paper currency eventually plunges because of hyper-inflation, you should also have barter items on hand. Candles. Batteries. Toilet paper. Dry soup mixes. Hot cocoa mix. Soap. Sugar. Gold jewelry. Necessary? Yes--- because your paper money may be seriously devalued (if you have any, that is!). The price of a can of frozen juice could rise to $5, a small box of powdered milk could go for $15. And the time may come when you have to trade durable goods (like soap or batteries) for food for your kids. So stock up now on durable trade items like tools, first aid kits, and feminine hygiene products.

Q: Isnt this an awful lot for me to be doing on my own?

A: Well, yes. Now is the time to start asking our city and county governments, our churches and schools and businesses, what they are doing in terms of emergency preparedness for our community.

QUESTIONS? WE HOPE YOU HAVE QUESTIONS!! CALL:

TRI-CITIES 2000 (423) 434-2172

Is this for real? You owe it to yourself to find out.

-- Webmaster (SelfReliance@iname.com), June 11, 1998

Answers

It's going the right direction, it points out the danger and counsels taking positive action in the community as well as personal survival strategies. One major concern with the y2k threat is that huge numbers of people have no way to become self-sufficient, let alone the ability to put up disastor storage provisions.

-- Lingtekvis Kvintero (kvintero@free-market.net), June 12, 1998.

Any level of self sufficiency is better than none. If we are to not only survive Y2K but come out on the other side with the kind of society we hope for. I don't particularly like the last question...the " Now is the time to start asking our city and county governments, " part...I hate to encourage people to ask their govt anything:-)...but I do like the rest of the flyer

-- Free Life (freedom2k@yahoo.com), June 14, 1998.

I like the info you have in the leaflet. Can I get a copy and use it in my community? Since I don't have a computer, and as yet can't download hard copies from the webtv, would you consider it? If so, e-mail me and I'll send my snailmail address. Thanx. Sandra

-- Sandra Jory (rustart@webtv.net), July 10, 1998.