Here's why a programmer is taking his family out of the city to a safe area.( Ron, don't advise him also to stay and depend on a reservoir to go obtain water for his family to live on- he would give you 15 horse laughs, and a spanking to set you straight- to quit giving this dangerous advice to others).
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We have been hearing conflicting information about Y2K for some time now. Some say to prepare for 2-3 days without electricity. Some say to prepare for the end of life as we know it. Which voice should we listen to?
I am a minister. I am also a computer programmer. I live in a small city in the Northeast. We rely on city water, gas, sewer and electric. We live on a 1/8th acre lot with a chain link fence around it, in a small house with the attic and basement fixed up into bedrooms for our nine children. I have elderly parents still alive.
With that background, let me guide you through the rationale that led me to believe that I have no choice but to move out of the city to a place that I am hastily preparing, where I will not rely on electricity, or city water or sewer. Let me say from the outset, that this is a much more massive project for us, with my wife and nine kids, ages 14 months to 16 years old. The average family of 2.2 kids can do this much more easily. . . .
My initial approach was, I thought, a reasonable assessment. As I began to research the inter-dependency of things within our entire socio-economic system, I realized that a two or three week disruption in the power supply would have a domino effect that could easily extend the effects to the average citizen to two or three months. I began to prepare a 90-day contingency plan. . . .
Through all this, I continued to educate myself. I considered the sources of my information. Did they have any axes to grind? Did they have anything to gain or lose by expressing the particular opinion they had about our future? And what about all this government stuff? I spent hours reading books and articles. I visited dozens of web sites. I accumulated as much information as I could process.
The following is a boiled-down thumbnail analysis of the data that I accumulated so far. I have included some links that substantiate what I'm saying. This is by no means all the evidence but will suffice for the sake of this article:
Many programmers that are working specifically in the area of Y2K compliance for the economic infrastructure (Water supply, electricity, banking, defense, etc.) are certain that compliance by the end of the year is not possible. Programmers are not politicians and have no reason to lie or exaggerate the truth. In many cases, the programmers that are saying that it will not be catastrophic are doing so under pressure from politicians and CEOs in order to keep their jobs.
The inter-dependency of individual elements of the socio-economic infrastructure means that if even ONE of the elements is critically affected, the rest of the system will be fatally compromised. For instance, if the power grid goes down, the water supply cannot be maintained and pumped, banks and business are closed, agriculture cannot be shipped because gas and oil cannot be pumped. This is true for virtually all of the different elements. . . .
The government is preparing the National Guard leadership for a large-scale domestic crisis. They have constructed old-tech HF (high frequency) radio towers, which are not reliant on the satellite system, all over the country. . . .
I was sent a document that had a quote from a top-ranking FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) that said that martial law would likely be imposed if there were rolling blackouts or brownouts still occurring by January 6th. . . .
I have concluded that there is enough evidence to suggest that a disaster will occur as a result of the Y2K problem. It may not. But there is a strong possibility, even a probability that it will. . . .
I am, as a matter of moral responsibility, obliged to do everything I can to prepare to protect my wife, my children and my elderly parents from this disaster. Therefore, I am obliged to prepare for a worst-case scenario to the best of my ability. . . .
We must be in a location where there is a reduced likelihood of interference from the government. We must also be in a location where it will be possible to live for an extended period of time without the benefit of electricity, indoor plumbing, a paycheck, etc.
We must be prepared enough to survive without being able to replace our growing children's clothing, continue their education at home, and produce food beyond our four-month supply if necessary.
We must be able to do all this preparation on a poverty-level income. Sound impossible? It's not. Right now, I'm looking at properties in The Middle of Nowhere for around $225 per acre. They have both fields and woods and are in excellent hunting country full of moose, deer, pheasant, ducks and other wild game. There is plenty of land to cultivate. We are contracting with an Amish community to build a cabin for us, cheaper than if we bought the raw materials and built it ourselves. We are buying a small well drill to do it ourselves, and will then drill some wells for others, to help finance our survival project. We are fighting time, but I am confident we will be ready when the time comes. . . .
Reason and Prudence dictate that you prepare in direct response to your situation. If you live in a rural setting, you'll probably want to stay. Get a good generator. Investigate storing a year's supply of fuel. Make sure you can live when the lights go out. If you live in the city, GET OUT! You won't stand a chance if the problem goes beyond a few weeks duration. You will be reliant on the government for everything, and they will dictate all the terms. The possibilities are truly frightening. . . .
Some Christians believe that they can do nothing to prepare, and "God will take care of me". This is extremely presumptuous. I believe that God's provision for our needs is the warning that it is going to happen! Just as He warned Joseph in Egypt that seven years of famine would happen, He gave time to prepare. That was the provision. God makes a promise in Psalms that "I have not seen the seed of the righteous begging bread". I believe that God will protect the children of even unprepared Christians, but it will be in the midst of extremely harsh circumstances. That need not happen if you heed God's graceful warning and prepare now.
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