Glory Hallelujah - My DWGI Sister-In-Law Is Now A GI

And how did this happen? After hearing about the potential of rollover problems she did nothing. She thought the whole y2k thing was silly, because somebody was going to fix it, they always do, right.

Thank Goodness, her entire neighborhood lost water when a main broke. She was without water for quite a long time. And what really got her goat was nobody came to inform her that repairs would cause the water to be shut off for at least a day. She stewed for a while and then realized how vulnerable she was to a loss of water. She said, "You dont even think about how many times a day you use water, until you dont have any."

She is now prepping. Yes I know its late, but better late than never.

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), December 18, 1999

Answers

Well at least she didn't just hit the "snooze button" and go back to having sweet dreams! That's one more,and congratulations.

on de rock

-- Walter (on de rock@northrock.bm), December 18, 1999.

....and she went outside where there riots in the street, roving gangs of thugs, buildings and homes burning, runs on finacial institutions........ Was this the natural reaction of those who lost water for that extended period of time? Or perhaps did they just get mad and shake their fist, file a complaint and wait for the water to be restored? Let me guess......

-- for real (for@real.com), December 18, 1999.

It takes darkness not dryness to generate looting. Pam

-- Pamela (jpjgood@penn.com), December 18, 1999.

Like seven weeks of darkness in New Zealand? Or how about three weeks of darkness and bitter cold in Montreal? Or perhaps, darkness, and no water and an entire community's homes destroyed during hurricane Andrew? Again, where was social breakdown?

-- for real (for@real.com), December 18, 1999.

unreal,
nice examples that don't mean sh*t - Help was available from many sources ...
but hey, why don't you attend the big countdown in NYC, go ahead.

-- DUH (duh@duh.duh), December 18, 1999.

Hi, Snoozy!

I'm glad she's prepping. The stores are stocked, no one's freaking out, so she should be able to garner lots of stuff.

I'm really bummed out about my closest neighbor, LaFern. She's a 50ish Christian widow DGI who believes Y2K will be only a three day Winter snow storm scenario. Meanwhile, she has totally redecorated her family room with new carpeting, new glass windows, repainted walls, new glass door and other tangible furnishings.

LaFern COULD have invested in beans, rice, bottled water and other necessities. However, she has deliberately chosen to IGNORE Y2K.

Guess that means she might come knocking on my door, huh?

-- dinosaur (dinosaur@williams-net.com), December 18, 1999.

So DUH.. Your point would be what? Everthing that can go wrong will go wrong?

-- for real (for@real.com), December 18, 1999.

for real,

I've seen a few posts and read stories about the looting that occured during hurricane Andrew, as well as stories about people fighting over provisions as they were passed out. I also heard that quite a few looters were shot.

If someone has any links to these stories could you please post them?

-- Clyde (clydeblalock@hotmail.com), December 18, 1999.

snooze button, I'm happy for you and your sister-in-law, very soon now we will witness a mass conversion of dwgi's. Won't be pretty!!

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), December 18, 1999.

Clyde, the fact that you have only some vague memory of possible looting, and need to request people to post some links to possible articles, is in itself proof of how significant those events were. If the masses had reacted the way they are predicted to act as a result of Y2K, believe me, you memory would not be so sketchy.

-- for real (for@real.com), December 18, 1999.

It doesn't take much to get the masses going. Remember the Christmas that a whole high school Christmas show was mobbed because it was rumored that there wasn't gifts enough for everyone? It takes a certain type of people to be in a group to get a mob going strong. Like a snowball.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), December 18, 1999.

Thanks for all the kind words and interesting replies. I'm very excited that others also are beginning to be aware. I know of several other families, friends of relatives, who very unexpectedly and definitely have turned the corner and are now prepping. For sure there are many more who are behind the learning curve still, but there is still a little time left if they hurry.

-- snooze button (alarmclock_2000@yahoo.com), December 18, 1999.

for real, get real. Y2K is not an "Act of God", it's a manmade disaster that our so-called leaders have downplayed at every opportunity. And, if it turns out badly, people are going to be pissed. And pissed people might try to take out their anger on somebody or something. It doesn't take much to incite some people to riot these days. Rage is in fashion. Riots have occurred after a sports team won or lost the championship, or over high-priced refreshments (Woodstock '99), or over a jury verdict (the Rodney King case).

-- Boy Scout (boyscout@beprepared.com), December 19, 1999.

It is very interesting hearing about all these different circumstances in which people rioted. Let me add some more. Kent State. All the civil rights rioting of the sixties. The two La riots etc. This makes my point. It is always, as a percentage of the population, a very small number of people who are prone to lose their civility in a crisis. To assume all of our wonderful citizens are one week without power before turning into mobs simply has no historical basis in fact. Actually, it is just the opposite. Many of you post that this family member "gets it", this family member does not. If you want to prove your point, list your friends and family on this forum that you know will turn into criminals after a week of hardship. Is it your mother? How about your father? Must be your brothers and sisters. Oh that damn uncle Bob, he is sure to lose his mind and take out an entire town all by himself! .....What is that you say? "None of MY family or friends would do that. Its all those OTHER people. I don't them specifically, but I've heard Art and Gary talk alot about them".

-- for real (for@real.com), December 19, 1999.

Here is an academic article about the 1977 NYC blackout, which points out that:

Minutes after the Blackout began, men in trucks equipped with chains and hooks were being paid by crowds to rip off the iron gates and fences that protected neighborhood stores. Within fifteen minutes, stolen goods were being offered to neighborhood residents who were on the streets or stranded in apartment buildings without elevator service.

Does that explain the concern about rioting and looting satisfactorily?

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 19, 1999.

for real, it really does depend on the community. I don't exactly live in Bedford Falls, but I'm in a nice area, and if there's trouble, I expect my street to share and remain civil - for a while.

But there's an estate of high-rise scum just up the road. Integrated communities in action, got to love it.

Burned out cars, broken windows, grafitti everywhere, garbage and discarded casual thefts (supermarket trolley's are a favourite) are all over the place. These are people with no money, no prospects and no social responsibility.

But they're all "other people"? No, one of my aunts lives there. And she's an alcholic 40 cigarettes a day gambling addict shrieking harpy, with a thug of a husband with a string of petty convictions (drink driving being the least of them). They are not, NOT, welcome at my house, now or ever.

Do you really think that all people with criminal tendencies are in jail?

I really, really hope you're right.

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 20, 1999.