By Crystal Franks and Brian Hickman, iDesk Staff
For people like one Elwood, Ind., man, any disaster — even apocalyptic — is taken seriously.
With Y2K still fresh on his mind, Ron Hunter, 57, said preparation is essential for survival.
Since Y2K, Hunter has collected supplies to insure his family will be comfortable for a power outage or a natural disaster. He pulled all his money out of the bank to transfer into a safe, bought a set of knives to accompany his shot gun and stocked up on canned food, gas and water.
“Everyone thought we wouldn’t be able to get any water, so I bought these rubber stoppers for the bathtubs and filled them up,” he said. “But I also just saved milk jugs and used them to store water in my basement.”
Hunter was not alone when it came to preparing for the worst on Y2K. According to CNN, the U.S. government spent $8.8 billion dollars, mostly to prevent programming flaws in computers, and private businesses across the country spent an estimated $100 billion to prepare.
After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Alexandra Sideris said her life changed. The senior English major’s father started to prepare for the end of the world.
“I didn’t really think my dad was serious at first, but after Hurricane Katrina hit and we had a 14-hour power outage — not around the same time — he decided that we had better start preparing for natural disasters and the end of the world,” Sideris said.
Her father showed her mother, sister and her all the supplies stored in bins he compiled over time.
“[He] told us that these supplies were not to be used, but to be saved in case the end of the world happened or another major power outage,” Sideris said. “Then he went around and explained other things in our house that would be beneficial if the end of the world happened. For example, we have a wood-burning fireplace that we could use for heat and an in-ground swimming pool that we could use for bathing if necessary.”
Sideris said she doesn’t think the world will end soon, but if it does, at least her family is prepared.
After Y2K passed without a disaster, minds eased. However, Hunter’s and Sideris’ families said they still are prepared for the worst Dec. 21 — the day the Mayan calendar ends, which some have interpreted as the apocalypse.
Hunter said when the day comes, he will treat it like any other.
“I’ll probably just be sitting in my chair, drinking a beer, when that day comes,” he said. “And if something crazy happens, I’ll grab my dog and hide in the cellar with my canned food and water.”
