Yesterday one of the guys I work with told me he had done a web search for heater venders. Toyoair a division of Toyota down in florida was who he had contacted. They were out of stock on their heaters and did not expect resupply until June. He was told no back orders, first come first served.He said he was going to start calling in May. I keep wondering how much longer I can stay ahead of the curve. I've been about 3 steps ahead of the crowd. Reminds me of the Song,"Gimmie 3 steps." At the risk of sounding morbid I'm beginning to think the center can't hold. And I'm wondering if the event is causing the problem or the other way around. Chicken and the egg.

-- nine (nine_fingers@hotmail.com), January 26, 1999

Answers

Lowes and Home Depot in the Raleigh area have kerosene heaters coming out the wazoo. Anyone wants to pay shipping, I assume they can get a kerosene heater. The only things I've seen in short supply are dirt cheap woodstoves and Alladin Lamps, two very thinly traded commodities.

-- Puddintame (dit@dot.com), January 26, 1999.

Don't forget, this is the time of year most retailers are trying to get rid of winter stock and get ready for spring. They assume that folks who needed such things purchased them in the fall. Once they've sold their current inventory, heaters, woodstoves, etc. won't be available again at retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. until late summer, early fall. It's not necessarily a sign of Y2K prep, just the normal inventory cycles at work.

-- David (David@BankPacman.com), January 26, 1999.

From what I can see, there are plenty of kerosene heaters. But it's hard to find kerosene fuel containers. After looking unsuccessfully for metal containers for about a month, I finally found a supply of blue plastic 5 gallon kerosene containers. Does anyone know whether plastic is good for long-term storage?

-- Walt (longyear@shentel.net), January 26, 1999.

Some Y2K supplies are still easily available around here. Some are not. Items that I have noticed are more difficult to find are kerosene, plastic water storage containers, propane camp stoves, generators, water purification tablets, and large first aid kits. I am not in need of these items, I just noticed when I walked by.

A local tv station took a non-scientific telephone poll of viewers. The question was "Are you preparing for Y2K?" 46% of those responding answered yes.

-- Sue (conibear@gateway.net), January 26, 1999.

I think it depends on if you live in a community that had held Y2K meetings if there's a shortage of basic necessities. Our community held a meeting a month ago, and the county sheriff, Red Cross, and a militia spokeman was there. There were over 100 people who attended and I am sure the news spread like wild fire after the meeting because I'm seeing shortages of candles, etc.

-- eyesopen (eyesopen@watching.com), January 26, 1999.

Walt:

The heavy blue plastic cans are fine for storing kerosene... actually better than steel, as water settling out of kero will rust the seam in a metal can in no time, with attendent leaks. Store the kerosene in a cool place, keep the lids tight, and it should last for several years... as long as you check it every so often, and remove any water that has settled out. Microbes will thrive in the water and eventually contaminate the kerosene. There is a preservative for kero available, but I've never found a source that would sell me less than 20 gallons of the stuff - way too expensive (20 gallons will treat something like 2000 gallons of kero).

-- Why2K? (who@knows.com), January 27, 1999.

Will "Stabil" work in kerosene the same as for gasoline? You can get Stabil at WalMart.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), January 27, 1999.

Stores like Quality Farm n Fleet, Town n Country, etc. carry a kero stabilizer in reasonable quantities.

CR

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 27, 1999.

Here's an idea for local traders that can no longer get hold of essential Y2K preparation supplies: import them from Europe. You can get everything here. Nobody is doing any preparation in Europe because nobody knows about Y2K, not really 'know', as in understand the possible social implications. Oh sure, they've heard about that computer nonsense in the newspaper (boooooooorrrrriiiiing!!!! ...zzz). And maybe they've had a chuckle over a magazine story about those crazy Americans airing out their camping equipment and bibles for the millenium. So why not exploit these different perceptions of Y2K - European "ignorance" and American "paranoia" - and do some business. For example, there's still time to buy up all the woodstoves and generators on the market in Europe and ship them to the US without anybody making the connection. And if they do? ...Well ...those cwayzeee funny Americans ...who am I to zudge? ...I'm not a zychiatwist. :)

from cby

-- cby (cbyrne98@hotmail.com), January 27, 1999.

Bardou:

Stabil will not work in preserving kerosene - two entirely different chemistries at work.

-- Why2K? (who@knows.com), January 27, 1999.