Emergency Preparedness Books

Very funny! Hilarious pictures, funny context. Whoever this man is, he is one hilarious, nuttyguy! This is a funny view of the Y2K problem, that everyone who panicks about it should definitely get. Bill Gates, watch out for Brad H. Olsen-Ecker! He can surely make anything funny, especially referring to Lady of the Water. Great Book!

That Olsen-Ecker guy is a real crazy kook. The book really puts this whole Y2K thing in a perspective we can all laugh about and silence the hysteria. Olsen-Ecker is one of the great creative minds of the 20th century. It is not just a book but a survival manual for the next millenium. Save those cheese doodles, take the stairs, and cancel that flight to Hawaii. The Y2K hysteria is upon us people! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!

Fear and loathing on the road to Y2K! A surreal journey in context, in type design, in photos. It's riveting. It's by my bedside. It's a must buy.

The author Bradley Olsen-ecker did a great job creating characters that really had personality. Giving the Y2K situation a very real identity. The story mad a lot of sense, and gave the readers an idea of how crazy Y2K will really be.

Buy this, read it, keep it on your desk. Any time you read in the "real" press that Y2K is going to bring disaster, open this book at random; remind yourself that *this* is what the pundits are predicting. They're nuts. (Well, the author is clearly nuts also, but I mean that in the nicest way.)

And, it's cheap enough that you can buy a batch and have them handy to hand to people who whine about Y2K preparedness. I did.

What a great book. It's purpose is to prepare you just in case there is a problem, not to tell you there will be a problem. Simple, clear information on what you can do to be prepared and remove any stress that you may have in regards to Y2K. It explains how easy it is to be prepared, demonstrating that there is no downside. It compels you to take some action, a step that will be beneficial to you and your family if something does go wrong on Jan 1, 2000.

A last, a Y2K book for the family home, written by a family orientated person. This easy to read book is just what every family needs to prepare their home for the possibility that Y2K does deprive us of services we normally take for granted. Read the book, heed the book, be prepared, and have a Happy New Year!

I found the common-sense solutions and suggestions to get ready for 2000 easy to read, understand, and implement. This "ounce of prevention" book is a "must read NOW" for anyone concerned with possible Y2K problems!

This is a practical book that provides important information to prepare you and your family not only for Y2K but for ANY potential natural disaster! This is a must read so that you have the basic necessities on hand for you and your loved ones! Every home should have a copy!!!

This brilliantly-written bible of preparedness is a must for every family. It is written with heart and love for her fellow man, wanting everyone to be ready for possible emergencies.

Raymond Aaron

Whether you plan to greet the New Year 2000 with a glass of champagne or by drying fruit, the Bates book makes good reading. Its lists of resources, right-minded catalogs and progressive Web sites alone are worth the price of admission.

I loved the wood cookstove on page 37. I immediately wanted one

This book, even though geared for Y2K type expected disaster, still has many useful tips for emergency preparedness. I found the food prep and storage section particularly useful. Also it had an excellent section on waste disposal which is often overlooked in other emergency preparedness books. Small and portable enough to take with you.

In addition to the recipes and food tips that could keep a diverse group of survivors happy for years (who wants plain ol' Chili gets that, and who prefers dishes like Rice Noodle Pad Thai will be satisfied also), there is an excellent overview of food storage techniques that includes charts I've never before seen on the shelf life of edibles, from an individually wrapped apple to nuts in airtight packages.

While Dorothy and Albert have given us lists, lists, and more lists to follow and yet others to create lists of our own, throughout their little treasure of a book is a taste of the loving, compassionate sensibility without which any attempt to survive is bound to be futile.

The Y2K Survival Guide and Cookbook (Ecovillage, TN) by Dorothy R. and Albert K. Bates is not your usual recipe collection. With the savvy of environmentalists ad the frenzy of those expecting emergency, Dorothy and Albert Bates cover every area of survival and food preparation. Expecting the worst case scenario - rolling brownouts and total black outs, failed utility systems and water purification problems - this book provides natural alternatives: food storage, chlorine bleach to purify water, using wood stoves, building your own composting toilet, and gardening. There are even first aid and Morse code directions in the final pages. After coping with any Y2K calamities, it's time to cook. In between survival guidelines, the Bates' book is filled with hearty recipes reminiscent of campfire food. As computers buzz blank, you can enjoy split pea soup from melted icicles, marmalades from sun-dried fruit, or shiitake joes from home-grown mushrooms. Even though The Y2K Survival Guide and Cookbook is intended for the millennium-minded cook, it is an eccentric volume any eco-conscious chef should add to their library.

Thank you, thank you for a "woman's perspective on Y2K. It was such an encouragement to learn that there are lots of other women who are frustrated by their husband's cavalier attitude at what could be a significant problem. Fortunately, my husband has started reading it and says that "maybe she has a point . . ." He really is taking it serious now since "60 Minutes" said it could be bad. The recent segment they ran solidified what Karen and other Y2K writers have been saying about this impending crisis.

Thank you for a well-written and helpful resource.

Karen Anderson does an excellent job of explaining Y2K in simple terms. It is easy to understand. And so practical!

Karen Anderson is probably the best-informed source for preparing for possible Y2K disruptions at home. While some are now saying that Y2K will be no big deal, the fact is, no one really knows what will happen. Many Y2K-knowledgeable people are saying we all need to be prepared in case normal life, with electricity and water on demand, etc., is disrupted for a time. Even Y2K expert Peter de Jager, who now says "we have broken the back of Y2K," still recommends preparing for one month of disruptions, just in case. Anderson's book will tell you everything you need to know about getting ready at home. She even recommends gathering a little extra, to share with those who may be unable to prepare ahead of time, in the spirit of community preparedness. I recommend this book highly.

I bought this book about a month ago and followed everything the book said.It will take awhile but I believe I will be prepared for Y2K.I took all of my husbands money to buy a power generator.I have been burying food in the backyard.I bought 30 sf freezer and have filled it with Bird Pies.I plan on going out and buying 6 months supply of drinking water next week.I know we are facing armaggedon but with the help of this great book,I think we will be one of the few survivors.

Whether or not the Y2K Millenium Bug turns out to be a frightening fact or fabulous fizzle, emergency preparedness is a topic that everyone should investigate -- especially families with children at home. You never know when sudden financial down turns could make food purchasing difficult, or a severe winter storm could keep your family confined to home for an extended period of time, or even an earthquake could cause the need for emergency essentials on hand. While I'm not sure what I personally feel about the outcome of the Y2K computer problem, I do see the common sense idea of family preparedness to be a good approach for anyone to seriously consider. Having a well-stocked rotating pantry that's replenished from items purchased in bulk and on sale is also a great way to save money on your family's regular expenses (Y2K or not!). I appreciated the author's detailed list of suggestions for items to store ahead (whether you're planning a storage system to last for one week, six months, or a full year+).

In his book: Y2K: You Can Burn This Book!, Tom Potter has done an excellent job covering the basic elements all our communities should consider as the Year 2000 approaches. We've all spent many months and considerable resources reconfiguring our hardware and software so they will continue to support our businesses - now we need to look at our personal preparedness efforts and those of our employees. Potter devotes a chapter to each area of fundamental needs (water, heat, power, food, etc), explaining where disruptions might occur and then providing suggestions for different levels of planning. For a detailed resource that follows up on topics mentioned in many preparedness primers, this is just the book you need. ---Deben Tobias, Board of Directors; Business for Social Responsibility

Tom Potter's Y2K: You Can Burn This Book! is an excellent resource for anybody concerned with disaster preparedness. With an emphasis on personal and household preparation, he sets a positive but proactive tone for pursuing these preparation activities. Using his expertise in industrial energy use, he discusses the scope of neighborhood preparation that Boulder > is also concerned about, and offers a broad range of solutions. Potter's book is a great resource for taking that first step toward being informed - and ultimately being prepared. He's also been an excellent speaking resource for Boulder County Y2K meetings. > --K. Garcia, Community Coordinator, Boulder County Y2K Preparedness Group >

This book is thought provoking and droll. Ice storms and blizzards here in Canada make emergency preparations useful for everyone. Most of the information so delightfully presented here is of use in any of those situations. This book will be valuable even after the Y2k has passed.

I've read a bunch of these now and this one is easy to read and understand. I'm trying to get my church group to use it, becuase it would be good for helping people in the local area when things get rough. Bunch of lists and its funny too!

I wish it would have had more stuff on where to buy food and things. But he has it on a website, I guess.

Unlike some of the other Y2K books I looked at, this one offers a reasonable approach to personal, family, and community preparedness. In some ways, it's unfortunate that it's linked to Y2K, because it is such a useful preparedness book. Living in earthquake country, I can really appreciate the author's checklists, worksheets, and insights on how to calculate how much water, food, and energy a family will need to ride out any crisis. Also, the very optimistic outlook and focus on non-violent responses to crises was a unique approach, given many of the other guides that seem focused on seige mentality. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody who lives in an area that is subject to earthquakes, floods, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, or any other possible disasters, including Y2K.

This is the ultimate account of a corporate whistleblower whose life was torn to shreds as a consequence. Not only did the European Commission successfully prosecute HLR as a result of Adams' information, but they stood by as both his and his family's lives were systematically destroyed. I read this book seven years ago and I still grit my teeth at any thought of Roche, the EC, and especially those god awful Swiss.

You MUST read this book. The more people who know the story, the better. Pharmaceutical cartels aren't as sexy as Big Tobacco, but Stanley Adams' ordeal blows even the dramatised Hollywood account of Big Tobacco's "Insider" completely out of the water.

This book has left a mark on my life and despite reading it over ten years ago I can still remember the tale in some detail. I recommend it to anyone who wishes to understand the true power of the multinnational

A most distrurbing tale of what happened to an executive of a Swiss pharmaceutical company after he had left the organisation.

Doing what he felt was right for the good of consumers and the EC, he passed cartel and shady dealing information to the European Parliament.

His subsequent arrest, the 'suicide' of his wife, and his ensuing struggle for freedom will bring a genuine tear to the eye of even the hardest reader.

I have tried to contact Stanley Adams and John Prescott (who assisted him in his plight) but to no avail.

All in all a gripping read - at times you will not beleive it is NON-fiction.

I read the book more than three years ago. Even though I have forgotten most of the details of Mr Adams's story, I am deeply impressed by this man's courage and ability of not showing even the slightest sign of grudge agaisnt those who have played him out. This shows that he is a very forgiving and loving guy. I admire him for the way in which he reacted to the whole incident. It's a very touching story, undeniably. May he live in peace and happiness forever.

Steven Craig ate, lived, & breathed, response efforts following Katrina. Rather than writing from a literature review, he writes from a 1st hand experience perspective. This is one of the best books on the market, to help you develop a disaster plan for your family, so that in today's world, you will have the necessary information to prepare, respond, and recover, from a disaster, whether a local or mass catestrophic event, such as Katrina. Additionally, his experience is not soley Katrina based, he is an emergency manager, and has taught emergency management on a college level. His book is easy to read and understand; he leaves out the jargon, and presents the information for practical day-to-day application. susanf

This book was easy to get into and stay with as author tells of his experiences with helping in restoring Coast Guard facilities in Florida after Katrina. He writes of conditions he saw and offers good advice on things we can do which would be helpful should we experience such a tragedy. Found his preparedness section especially helpful as we never know when a disaster, natural or otherwise, may occur. One such tip was to have one person all family members would use to communicate if we were separated and didn't know where other members were.

This is an excellent book. Not the ususal format of tales told from the storm. Its an unbiased account from the perspective of a senior level Emergency Manager. This is a book that should be read by anyone involved in Emergency Planning and Operations. It is a brass tacks assessment of circumstances as they were encountered in a plain language no nonsense format. Steve Craig also highlights some of the activities of the responders in their free time.

Having been an Emergency Manager in the middle of the entire experience, I can say that this is an accurate account and assessment of the challenges experienced in responding to and managing the worst natural disaster in the history of this country.

I loved all the hints and practicality of this book, it was full of pictures and charts and other resources.

This is the first book that I have read, that covers all phases of surviving a nuclear attack. It is the authors view that the chances of a surprise attack has actually increased since the end of of the Cold War. But he clearly shows that it is quit possible to survive an attack. The book is not politically correct, making it enjoyable to read and study.

HEARD ABOUT BOOK VIA ART BELL RADIO SHOW. ONE THING: DID NOT KNOW AS AUTHOR CLAIMED, THAT 1994 CRIME CONTROL ACT OF CONGRESS FORBADES HOARDING MORE THAN A 6 MONTH SUPPLY OF FOOD. AUTHOR WELL LEARNED, ARTICULATE AND WELL ABOVE GROUND, IN CLEAR THINKING; RICH IN PRACTICAL ADVICE. THIS IS A SUPER BOOK.

After all of the recent natural disasters, I thought it would be a good idea to prepare a little. This book really opened my eyes! It isn't so much about surviving natural disasters as it is about facing evacuation. Apparently there is a minimum of three days from the time something happens and when the Red Cross and National Guard get there to start helping people. After hurricane Katrina, they admit that the three day estimate might be a bit of an understatement . . . after a large disaster, you might be on your own up to two weeks without outside help.

Even if you don't live in an area at risk for earthquakes or hurricanes, there are plenty of smaller disasters that trigger evacuations: fire at a chemical plant; a truck (or train) crashing and spilling dangerous contents; a dam breaking. Hurricanes and wildfires might leave you more time to prepare, but a lot of smaller disasters don't. These things are more common than you'd imagine, and once I started paying attention to the news, I noticed that small scale evacuations are happening all the time. You often get only a couple of minutes to gather your family and get out, which leaves no time to pack or gather supplies.

"Plan . . . Not Panic" teaches you how to prepare an evacuation kit for your family--something to keep packed and stored in a safe, easily accessible place, so that you need only grab it and go in an emergency.

Every time I re-read the book, I discover some new piece of advice. It's easy to read, easy to understand, and it has scattered bits of humor and personal experiences throughout, so you learn what you need to know without being overwhelmed. It prepares you for what it would be like to stay in an emergency shelter, so that when faced with an evacuation you aren't as stressed. In particular, I like that she says to be sure to pack entertainment . . . books, crossword puzzles, a deck of cards, anything compact that you can use to take your mind off the situation. Also, she says to include comfort items, little things that will ease your stress. All very good ideas!

I loaned my copy to my mother, who actually began preparing the family's kits before I got around to making ours! I bought a second copy and sent it to a friend in California, and she was quite impressed as well. Now I'm buying a third, to send to my mother-in-law. It makes a perfect gift for loved ones, and I cannot recommend it enough!

(Note: This is an older edition of the book. The newer edition has a red and white cover, and contains a few changes. (The revised title is "It's Time to Plan, Not Panic") Mainly, it points out that the lag time before help arrives might be longer than just 72 hours.)

A friend recommended that I get this book. I really like the outline format that showed me how to go from one subject to the next as I tried to figure out what our family would need. All of the news headlines have been frightening. This book showed me that I could at least try to do something to help myself. I also liked the fact that it gave me choices and I could work it into my budget.

I loved how easy to read and understand this book on preparedness is. Barbara made me feel like I could take care of myself and my family in an emergency. Even if the situation is bad, I can be prepared so we can at least cope. There were some ideas I'd never even considered before, that certainly made a lot of sense. I highly recommend this book.

I have read a number of good (and not so good) books on Y2K. The kind of book that has been most useful for me is those that help me plan a course of action to minimize the impact of personal disruptions expected because of Y2K. What sets "Practical Jack's Checklist for Y2K" apart for me are: (1) As an electronic book (formatted in HTML) it takes full advantage of hyperlink functionality. This not only makes the Table of Contents and Index a joy to use but also leads me to associated topics from within the chapters. (2) The checklist (in Excel format) follows the organization of the electronic book. This has been extremely helpful as a starting point for me to organize and track my preparation efforts.

Miller covers the full range of planning tips, from trash to family fun. His style is light and conversational; but make no mistake, this is a serious book. The real genius is the spreadsheet checklist - you enter the items you use on an everyday basis, and the checklist automatically computes how many you have to buy and store - and at what cost - for Y2K. This makes planning a lot more efficient; there's no guesswork here.

This is an excellent guide for preparing for Y2K, from an individual family perspective. Miller doesn't waste time explaining how the bug happened, or what corporations are doing to correct the problem. He focuses on what you and I need to do to get ready for the very likely reality that many things will go a bit haywire on January 1, 2000. His best piece of advice is to start getting ready NOW. Don't wait until December. By then if you aren't ready, you'll just have to sit tight and hope for the best. Also, things will probably start to get a bit crazy in November and December as other people realize they are late getting started.

Miller's advice is very practical and down to earth, explaining the basic, simple things we can all do to prepare. He doesn't preach about doomsday or Armageddon. He assumes that society won't collapse around us, just that things could get a bit tough. His spreadsheet checklist makes it incredibly easy (using your computer, ironically) to go through and choose what you may need to store and be ready for. He makes many suggestions beyond just storing water, providing useful insight into what it takes to survive a little while without the day to day things we take for granted now.

I highly recommend this electronic book. The price is right, and it could save you a lot of grief the first month of 2000.