Another brief thought about emergency planning.

There are several levels of planning that would be wise.

1. Being prepared for natural disasters, and power outages for days to a  
couple of
weeks, depending on where you live.  This is not that unusual a happening,  
between tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms, and blizzards.  You need water,  
food and a way to prepare it, emergency lighting, phone and radio if  
possible, and extra blankets and ways to keep warm.  And a way to save all  
that meat in your freezer.  If it's a blizzard, of course, you can just  
put it out in a snow bank :-)

2. Being prepared for a flu or other pandemic.  Although much less likely,  
we are told that this might bring economic activity to a halt for up to 6  
weeks, and at least 3 weeks.  We may be asked to stay in our houses for 3  
weeks.  Maybe utilities would keep working, maybe they would be  
unpredictably spotty.  You might want a
backup generator.  You would need water, food and a way to prepare it, and  
palliative remedies, either OTC or herbal, in case a family member got  
sick.
Hospitals may be swamped with seriously ill patients, so you'd be wise to  
treat milder cases at home. You'd need enough of your prescription  
medicines to last those 3-6 weeks.

3. Being prepared for significant economic disruption and inflation over  
the next few years, a severe recession or a depression.  I wouldn't hazard  
a guess as to how likely this is.  For this you would want significant  
long-term food storage, supplies of necessities that may soar in price  
(soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.), tools and skills to make things  
yourself, in the "make do, use it up, wear it out" philosophy of the Great  
Depression.  Get a few extra futons and blankets in case "busted" family  
members move in with you.  Learn how to garden, and turn that useless lawn  
into a vegetable garden.  Lay in a stock of vegetable seeds.  Learn to  
knit, sew and mend.  None of this is beyond us; these were skills our  
grandparents took for granted.  Life can still be good, without the $5  
lattes, the very latest electronic gadgets, or shoes from Italy. If you  
have water, food, shelter, and each other, things aren't so bad.

	Lynnet