This post is from the forum at J.C. Cunningham's website, www.they2ksite.com. He is a friend of mine, and has always seemed rational, intelligent, and well-informed to me. He is also the author of the "Y2K Survival Guide". Make what you will of this.

my site: www.y2ksafeminnesota.com

FROM JCC's FORUM:

"I have avoided posting rumors and non-traceable information on this web site and in using that information in public presentations. Plain and simple, I avoid the accelerant of rumors whenever possible.

I am breaking my self-imposed guideline on this occassion. Tonight I addressed a Y2K preparation group at a church in Brookfield WI in which a woman approached me with the following story:

A life-long friend of hers now lives in Florida. The friends sister is John Koskinen's secretary in Washington D.C. Mr. Koskinen is, of course, President Clinton's Y2K Czar. The secretary told her sister to "get out of Florida before Y2K at all costs".

Her motivation for warning her sister is unknown. She may have an aversion to oranges and humidity. But the assumption is that information to which she has been exposed would warrant avoiding Florida in January 2000.

As much as I distrust rumors, this one is close to the source and I have little doubt that Koskinen's secretary did pass this info along to her sister, albeit for reason's unknown. Thanks, JC"

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), September 21, 1999

Answers

Exactly right M.S. - just part of the reason I left SW FL and moved over a thousand miles north to mid Ohio.

-- Dan G (earth_changes@hotmail.com), September 21, 1999.

Dan, are you the person with the Earth Changes Web Site? I used to visit your page everyday....Sorry for the OT response, but I saw Dan's email, and made a connection. Great site by the way...If it's still there, here's the URL:

http://members.tripod.com/~thepcguru/changes.html

Dan's Earth Changes Site

-- Donna (moment@pacbell.net), September 21, 1999.

This gives no explanation of why JCC regarded his "source" of this rumor as so credible that he felt it appropriate to break his "guideline". Shall we expect Kosky fire his secretary?

Jerry

-- Jerry B (skeptic76@erols.com), September 21, 1999.

Donna - yep, thats me.

-- Dan G (earth_changes@hotmail.com), September 21, 1999.

Yep, lots of farming and ranching, orange groves, sunny weather, year- round growing season. By all means, get the hell out.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), September 21, 1999.

Uncle Deedah, I do not directly attest to the authenticity/accuracy of the above report. I provided information on how to track the original source down. Nonetheless, I believe some comments about Florida'a desirability as a place to be in 2000 are in order. These are from my article "Serious Voluntary Relocation", which I recently posted on this forum, and is available on my website (www.y2ksafeminnesota.com).

I consider the frigid temperatures and snow in winter [in Minnesota] a plus with respect to safety for PREPARED households in 2000 for this reason: people intent on looting are unlikely to cross great distances on foot, or to wait patiently outside to ambush you, in such conditions. The warmer 5/6 of the country will not be as fortunate. Also, if cold, heat from a woodstove is a reliable, low-tech way to solve the problem. The warmer regions of the country may not have as critical of needs for heating in winter, but consider the summers... They are much longer and more intense in the U.S. South, Southwest, and much of the U.S. Atlantic coast, and air conditioning is much harder to replace by [available long-term] low-tech methods than heat is. Again, consider what a summer with no air conditioning will be like in most of the country... [Summer is effectively 7+ months long in Florida.]

Animal attack is less of a risk in Minnesota than most more southern states. The U.S. contains 4 species of poisonous snakes [as does Florida, yes?], but Minnesota only has 2, and those only in the extreme south portion of the state. I do not yet know what our situation is with respect to the 2 species of poisonous spiders found in the U.S., but I will say this: when the temperature is below freezing, spiders and insects (bees, mosquitos, cockroaches, etc.) are nonfactors. I have lived much of my life south of Minnesota, and can tell you from personal experience that insects average much less of a problem here than in the southern half of the U.S.

Hurricanes are mainly a risk in the Gulf Coast and Atlantic coastal states, so we [Minnesotans] don't get them.

We [Minnesotans] do get tornados/hail from severe thunderstorms, although fewer than the Southeast U.S.

...saltwater intrusion into aquifers from historic overpumping (much of coastal Florida) [reduces water supplies]

Lakes and ponds in densely populated areas in my opinion will quickly degrade in quality in 2000 once they deice (no sewage treatment, possible bodies, no environmental oversight); this degradation will be immediate for such lakes/ponds in the southern half of the U.S., where the lakes do not freeze.

Flooding risk is mostly connected with being near rivers that have gotten large, or being where rainfall can be catastrophically high. This is not a negligible concern in Minnesota, but... the Gulf Coast [is] more noted for this hazard than most of Minnesota.

Yellow fever and malaria are not possibilities here [in the North] in 2000 (unlike the South).

Also, doesn't Florida 1) have a fairly high population density, and 2) doesn't it import the vast majority of basic food grains? Wheat, corn, and soybeans are a heck of a lot more useful for sustaining life than sugar cane; besides, the North has sugar beets and the maple syrup industry available as sugar sources.

I did not intend to bait anyone with this, or to knock any Southerners' Y2K preparations. A one-sided comment simply needed IMO to receive some balance.

-- MinnesotaSmith (y2ksafeminnesota@hotmail.com), September 21, 1999.

MinnesotaSmith, Some people hate the cold enough to put up with bugs and heat. I live in NYC without AC and it can get really hot, so I guess I can face a few lovely winter months in Florida while you all are trying to keep your home fires burning. No hurricanes during the winter, either. As for looters, there are a lot of variables on that point, but if they close the highways, which they might, and the causeway to the beach side, which they ought to, we won't get them.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWayne@aol.com), September 22, 1999.

Hey Dan,

You don't happen to be a programmer formerly contracting with NASA, are you? :)

-- Dean -- from (almost) Duh Moines (dtmiller@midiowa.net), September 22, 1999.

I consider the frigid temperatures and snow in winter [in Minnesota] a plus with respect to safety for PREPARED households in 2000 for this reason: people intent on looting are unlikely to cross great distances on foot, or to wait patiently outside to ambush you, in such conditions. The warmer 5/6 of the country will not be as fortunate. Also, if cold, heat from a woodstove is a reliable, low- tech way to solve the problem. The warmer regions of the country may not have as critical of needs for heating in winter, but consider the summers... They are much longer and more intense in the U.S. South, Southwest, and much of the U.S. Atlantic coast, and air conditioning is much harder to replace by [available long-term] low-tech methods than heat is. Again, consider what a summer with no air conditioning will be like in most of the country... [Summer is effectively 7+ months long in Florida.]

Considering the percentage of prepared to un-prepared households, extreme cold weather is not such a good deal for the majority of people in those climes. People intent on looting are unlikely to cross great distances on foot either way, ever carry a five gallon pail of paint? Floridians survived for centuries without A/C, cheap seniors don't run it as it is, ever watch Seinfeld?

Animal attack is less of a risk in Minnesota than most more southern states. The U.S. contains 4 species of poisonous snakes [as does Florida, yes?], but Minnesota only has 2, and those only in the extreme south portion of the state. I do not yet know what our situation is with respect to the 2 species of poisonous spiders found in the U.S., but I will say this: when the temperature is below freezing, spiders and insects (bees, mosquitos, cockroaches, etc.) are nonfactors. I have lived much of my life south of Minnesota, and can tell you from personal experience that insects average much less of a problem here than in the southern half of the U.S.

Animal attack? Please. The Florida cougar is so endangered they are thinking of importing mates for them. Gators are shy of humans despite the fearsome face, and tasty too. Yum. Ya got me on the bugs though, that's why I'm stocking up on bug spray. Snakes? Meet snake shot.

Hurricanes are mainly a risk in the Gulf Coast and Atlantic coastal states, so we [Minnesotans] don't get them.

Addressed above by Mara.

We [Minnesotans] do get tornados/hail from severe thunderstorms, although fewer than the Southeast U.S.

Tornados are very, very few here, and usually very weak in FL, thunderstorms bring rain, which is water, which is good.

...saltwater intrusion into aquifers from historic overpumping (much of coastal Florida) [reduces water supplies]

Not a big problem, wells draw potable water right near the beach.

Lakes and ponds in densely populated areas in my opinion will quickly degrade in quality in 2000 once they deice (no sewage treatment, possible bodies, no environmental oversight); this degradation will be immediate for such lakes/ponds in the southern half of the U.S., where the lakes do not freeze.

Frozen shit will thaw eventually.

Flooding risk is mostly connected with being near rivers that have gotten large, or being where rainfall can be catastrophically high. This is not a negligible concern in Minnesota, but... the Gulf Coast [is] more noted for this hazard than most of Minnesota.

Good, maybe it will wash away of of that shit.

Yellow fever and malaria are not possibilities here [in the North] in 2000 (unlike the South).

Got OFF? I do. And screens.

Also, doesn't Florida 1) have a fairly high population density, and 2) doesn't it import the vast majority of basic food grains? Wheat, corn, and soybeans are a heck of a lot more useful for sustaining life than sugar cane; besides, the North has sugar beets and the maple syrup industry available as sugar sources.

1)Yes, along the coast, sparser inland. 2)If the food runs out down here, it will run out up there. In the meantime, I'll plant some onions while you have icicles hanging from your nipples.

I did not intend to bait anyone with this, or to knock any Southerners' Y2K preparations. A one-sided comment simply needed IMO to receive some balance.

Ditto. Hey, you got Jesse, Minnesota can't be all bad.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), September 22, 1999.

Unc D

That shit was priceless!!

You're one doomer with a great sense of humor!!

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), September 22, 1999.

According to the original Navy Pentagon Papers, wasn't Florida "toast" in the electricity department?

R.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), September 22, 1999.

Deano

I am NOT a doomer. I am now an official "Three Day Stormer". Like the one NC is still digging it's way out of. Yep, kinda like the "Three Hour Tour" that Mr and Mrs Thurston Howell III signed up for.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), September 22, 1999.

Minnesota, You are kidding right? Lets see now an unknown woman walks up to this guy with high ideals and impeccable standards, a good friend of yours (of course), and whispers. Psssst Hey mister, I happen to know a woman that knows a woman that has a sister that works for John Koskinen and she says that so on and so on! This brief conversation concludes with this master Y2k geek (youre good friend) deciding that surely this is a bigger story than the Secret Navy Paper debacle so he gleefully sheds his high ideals and moral obligations in order to inform the public and, thanks to you.. he breaks the story.

Give me a break! While youre at it, try taking a brief vacation to Florida sometime to enlighten yourself your analysis sounded as though it came right out of a Monty Python script! Yellow fever! get with the program guy! Oh. Sorry, youre a WWF fan, right! There, there everything will be ok now, just settle down. Geeez.

-- Jake (Jake@Reality.com), September 22, 1999.

Unc D

Sorry for the misnomer. still absolutely hillarious!

He's right yall - Florida SUCKS - ya don't wanna be here.....:-)

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), September 22, 1999.

I live in Florida, I have lived here all my life. I love the beaches,the lakes,and the rivers.Still,living inland during the summer,well there is a good reason most people live near the beach. Living Inland during the summer with lots of humidity,it feels like HELL!!!! I have to say though crops like the heat and humidity,crops like beans,peas,corn,watermelon,cantelopes and squash.

-- Stanley Lucas (StanleyLucas@WebTv.net), September 22, 1999.