I received this today by e-mail:

Will The Media and Elected Officials Help the Public Prepare for possible Millennium Meltdown?

Y2K Awareness Expo, February 12-13th at the Waukesha, Wisconsin Expo Arena ( 20 miles west of Milwaukee, 80 miles northwest of Chicago just off I-94 ) Friday Hours ...11:00AM - 9:00PM........Sat. 9:00AM- 9:00PM $5.00 at the door, under 12 free

First Upper Midwest Preparedness Expo Exhibitors from all over the country, and residents from Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana will be at the Expo to share resources on The Year 2000 problem.

Vendors and speakers in the Preparedness Industry will be at the Waukesha Expo Arena, in Waukesha Wisconsin on February 12th and 13th, 1999.

Vendors with food and food storage products, water storage, water filters and purifiers, health and medical, wood stoves and furnaces, solar energy, wind power, personal and home security, bulk grains and grinders, communications, lanterns, flashlights, generators, military surplus.....etc will help the public to prepare for possible Millennium Meltdown.

Guest speakers will include Nationally Known Speaker Kent Hovind of Creation Science Evangelism, and National Talk Show host Brannon Howse of the American Family Policy Institute. Both will speak on the problem and possible consequences of The Year 2000 Bug.

Rolling seminars on food storage, grains, grain grinding and baking, alternative energy, societal concerns, communications and more throughout the Expo.

Even our govt. officials, including President Clintons Y2K czar John Koskinen and Senator Robert Bennett of the Senates Y2K committee have admitted that many govt. agencies and businesses will not have their computer systems Y2K compliant before the roll over. Power plants, food and fuel distribution systems, communications, and the banking system are the main concerns.

Whether we have problems that last several days, weeks or months, it is imperative that our friends, neighbors and loved ones can heat their homes and feed their families in the event of disruptions. Those who can prepare should also plan to prepare and share with those who can't.

But whether it is a blizzard, tornado, earthquake or other man-made or natural disaster, the more people who have the basic needs such as food, water, heat and shelter, the less the impact will be on society and emergency services.

We have a warning that there is a problem, this problem has a definite deadline, 01/01/00. Even the skeptics admit there will be disruptions of some kind.

Why wouldn't you prepare? If nothing happens on 01/01/00....you eat your food, drink the water and can heat your home in case of a power outage! All media requests should be made to .....Chuck Ball at 414-594-8996 or 594-5420

End of press release......Please read addendum.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What will the media, govt. officials and community leaders do to help our citizens to prepare for possible Millennium Meltdown?

Y2K is and will be the story of the century. But while the govt. and large corporations around the world spend billions of $$$$ and hundreds of thousands of man-hours to remediate, test and try to prevent a technological meltdown, they refuse to tell the public that they themselves are preparing for the possibility of power systems failing, grocery and fuel distribution lines being disrupted, possible problems with the banking system and ATM machines....etc.

The problem is huge, the time is short, and trying to repair in 2 years, systems that have been built one upon the other for the last 40 years, is a daunting task.

The average American ( or for that matter, the average person in the world ) is still looking at this problem and saying " Why worry, I don't have a computer, and I don't use one in my job!" Little do they know that almost every area of our lives is dependant on a computer somewhere.

People just don't have extra food in the house, or a way to heat their house if the power went out. We hear of isolated areas experiencing natural and man-made disasters, and emergency services unable to feed and shelter those affected.

What if Y2K does cause moderate to severe problems?

We aren't talking an isolated disaster, we're talking World Wide!

If we wake up on 01/01/00, and the power is down, the banks are closed, grocery shelves are empty and people are hungry and cold ( winter here! ) Will you be able to look at your friends, neighbors, listeners, subscribers, family and everyone else and say... "I'm sorry, we didn't believe it could happen."

It doesn't hurt to prepare, whether natural or man-made disaster, sickness, unemployment, recession....Y2K etc....

You buy insurance for your home, car, your life..... This is just insurance for a definite problem, with a definite deadline..

If Nothing happens..eat the food, drink the water and heat your home if the power goes out.... If something does happen, the more people prepared, the less the impact on our communities....

After all, who will listen to your talk shows, watch your news or read your papers when their families are cold and hungry?

If everyone starts now and does a little every day..they can prepare.

I am looking for talk show appearances, t.v. radio and newspaper stories, public service announcements...etc. We are also still hoping for a television and radio sponsor for the Expo.

Cover the Y2K problem and Future Expos on a consistent basis, and watch your ratings go through the roof!

If you received this email, it is because your media source, or constituency is in our radius of people who will make the trip to the Expo. Please do a story and publicize the event in your area. People will drive hundreds of miles to attend a Preparedness Expo.

Our Impact area includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan.

All media inquires should be made to Chuck Ball, at 414-594-8996 or 594-5420. All stories, talk show appearances ....etc must include our phone #.

Preparedness Expos out west and down south draw thousands of people. Do not be the last media outlet in your area to cover this Expo.

Media credentials will be issued to any media outlet who does a story, talk show appearance....etc before the show.... If we have your cooperation in publicizing the Expo in the weeks leading up to the Expo, you will be welcome to do onsite reports, live remotes and have free reign with all speakers and vendors during the show.

If we fail to get your attention and publicity before the show, your station, paper ...etc. will be turned away at the door and refused permission to film or do interviews.

We will cooperate and help the media in any way we can, if we receive objective press coverage and helpful publicity before the show.

We are not out to panic anyone, and we are not alarmists. The only panic that will take place is in Sept-Oct. 99 when people get scared because they wasted 9 months they had to prepare.

Please consider being a media sponsor, doing live remotes and onsite reports..

Thank You, Chuck Ball 414-594-8996 or 414-594-5420

-- Steve Hartsman (hartsman@ticon.net), January 13, 1999

Answers

For those that can't make it to the show (or those who want to help after the show), maybe you might give these folks a hand...

The Wisconsin Assisted Living Association at:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=000NkL

~C~

-- Critt Jarvis (Wilmington, NC) (critt@critt.com), January 13, 1999.