59 Responses to:
PREPARE NOW TO SURVIVE THE FLU

# 1. 3/13/06 8:42 PM by jack
A good food suply would include having some chickens in the backyard to produce eggs which are high in protein. Also, not living in Mt Morris would be beneficial so the zoning tsar wouldn't restrict having chickens in the first place.

Editor's Note: uh, actually, the one situation where your suggestion would be bad is when there is an outbreak of AVIAN flu.

# 2. 3/14/06 1:22 AM by Steve - tyler tx
Bob , if the motality rate is anywhere near 50%. People better stock up on the guns and ammo too. Those ill prepared WILL take what they need from those that are prepared, but not from those with the means to protect themselves. We saw it in New Orleans. And not to suggest that Hollywood is an Oracle of the truth and the future, but more than a few motion pictures have presented such possibilities ie Omega Man, Panic in the year Zero, to name just a few..it is also just human nature..survive..survive..survive at ANY cost.

Editor's Note: got that one covered

# 3. 3/14/06 4:10 AM
Definitely a good idea. But what does someone do when they live in a rental with very limited space? We have probably a week's worth of food. And we re-stock from time to time. But, I clicked on your link and checked the guidelines for the two of us. And we simply do not have the space. I know we need to work on that.

Editor's Note: under your bed

# 4. 3/14/06 6:02 AM by Dave - Scottsville, NY
You also should have drinking water and even just for emergencies all of us should have enough food and water to get us through two weeks.

# 5. 3/14/06 6:34 AM by Steve - Western New York
Let me get this straight. The President of the United States, arguably the most powerful man in the world is coming to a town nearby and you're writing about...BIRD FLU of all things? What do we get tomorrow, a treatise on mad cow disease? Perhaps we can make this "Barnyard Animals Week" on lonsberry.com? Whaddaya think?

C'mon Bob, you're a LOT smarter than having to write about stockpiling food in the even that the deadly H5N1 flu mutates and hits. Besides, if you look at the history, the 1918 flu pandemic began to ease in the spring and summer....right before it wound up again to kill more the following fall. And what season are we heading in to?

Let's stick with discussions or questions that we might have for the President Bob. The way I feel, the man that I and every one of my family members have voted for TWICE has, as Ricky said to Lucy, "got some 'splainin' to do"!

Editor's Note: the president is coming briefly to canandaigua, new york, to talk about a welfare program that affects about 5 percent of my readers. idiot.

# 6. 3/14/06 6:56 AM by Hunter - Rochester,N.Y.
Unlike the Y2K bug this is the real thing.If you remember the Y2K bug had us storing water and food.Banks would go down, there would be no electricity and planes would fall from the sky.Generally bad things would happen to people.The Y2K bug was essentially a non-event.This bird bug is the real deal, people have died from this and it would behoove all of us to be well prepared.Its not a question of where but when.

# 7. 3/14/06 7:01 AM by allison - Rochester NY
Good morning Bob, I'm living in England at the moment and the BBC News is reporting that it is expected that the bird flu will pass from human to human by the end of this summer, in this country.

Be glad you have rather a large pond separating you from us.

# 8. 3/14/06 7:18 AM by Mike - Greece
The only good news about this flu is that it might get rid of the damn Canada geese.

Editor's Note: we should kill them and eat them. i think it's an incredible waste to have people going hungry while the mall is littered with goose crap.

# 9. 3/14/06 7:32 AM by MM
Also, have a complete homeopathic kit and a good homeopathic resource in the house to treat any sick family members.

Editor's Note: don't they prefer to be called gayopathic?

# 10. 3/14/06 7:33 AM
That's how I quit smoking. Got the hell away from people for 3 months.

# 11. 3/14/06 7:36 AM
I normally have about 3 months' worth of food on hand, mainly dried pasta and canned foods. We do have quite a bit of different kinds of rice, too. After September 11 we kept about 10 gallons of water on hand, but we got rid of that when we moved and haven't gotten around to replacing it. But this stockpiling food the Mormon way seems like such a pain in the rear. You have to keep 100 lbs. of rice in your basement? What about critters? What about rotating the food so that nothing gets too old?

I'd rather just keep a really full pantry of the foods we normally eat. If we had 6 months' worth, do you think that would be an adequate way to do it?

# 12. 3/14/06 7:52 AM by Liberty Tom - Rochester, NY
Good advice Bob. But just imagine when it does hit here......what will be the response? It's George Bush's fault that this wasn't stopped at the border. How could he have allowed this to happen? It's HIS fault that I don't have enough food in the pantry.

After all....what did he do to stop the terrific tornadoes that just hit the mid-west? There were no warnings about the storms that came from the White House !!! I haven't seen him deploy FEMA yet...what's he waiting for? No - we truly are an infantile population, unable to function to take care of ourselves. Another victory for the Big Government Knows Better crew.

# 13. 3/14/06 7:57 AM by Pete
Better watch you say Bob, there are some that may take your comment of eating the Geese at the malls and the golf courses seriously!

I think that your idea of keeping a food supply on hand is a good one.

The Bird flu, even in the countries where it had originated have not seen the level of a pandemic. In this day and age if the Bird flu becomes a pandemic in this country, something else is very, very wrong. I don't think that any amount of food is going to help!

Keeping food on hand for power outages or a disruption in food supplies for whatever the reason is logical. If we have an outbreak of this flu enough to take out 50% or more of those it infects it is not happening by itself, something or someone else has initiated it.

If it ever gets to the stage of a pandemic, with all the other signs of the times we see I would be looking for Christ to return.

# 14. 3/14/06 8:02 AM by Peter
We have a canned food stash that will last 4 or 5 months, including chocolate and peanuts -- the comfort foods. Also a 2-week supply of stored water.

I also recommend emergency lighting, an alternative heating source and plenty of puzzles and reading material. A flu of this magnitude could create a lengthy disruption in electrical services. Who'll run the stations if the workers die?

People need to envision the worst scenario and then prepare for double that. Those who are laughing and ignoring our advice will soon become very dangerous.

# 15. 3/14/06 8:11 AM by YOKO - Ontario ny
Welcome back , Bob !

I would not count on the government for anything! If this thing comes the government will be as prepared as they were for Katrina! Long lines and no answers! Political finger pointing will be at its finest!!

A country boy will survive!!

# 16. 3/14/06 8:16 AM by Warren Blazes - Spencerport, NY
Forget about eating those geese. Their diet of lawn-chemical grasses around those retention ponds spoils the flavor. Instead,you can check www.backwoodshome.com for additional information on emergency preparedness.

# 17. 3/14/06 8:50 AM by Wingnut - Ogden, Utah
Don't plan on running to the grocery store when this thing hits. One of the first things the government would do to stop the spread of a pandemic is to position the highway patrol at the state borders and stop all interstate travel. The local grocery stores wouldn't last more than a couple of days. This is something we need to be smart about. Take care of it now because when it hits it will be too late.

# 18. 3/14/06 8:57 AM by Mark - Rochester
It all boils down to people being responsible for their own well being. The government is not responsible for us individually.

So, I can't help but wonder if FEMA is being sent to the plain states? Will those folks hit hard by tornadoes get $2500 debit cards to spend on whatever? Will they be put up in hotels for 6 months? Will they get $150K replacement homes? Or are they of the wrong ethnic background?

# 19. 3/14/06 9:00 AM
Glad to see you cockroaches will be surviving the pandemic. If we're lucky you'll be the only ones left and can share each other in the world of your making.

# 20. 3/14/06 9:01 AM by Ralph
Sounds kind of like the old duct tape and plastic scare. and what is with the powdered milk thing? Why not bottled water? and if not water then what good is powdered milk without water?

# 21. 3/14/06 9:07 AM by Beth - Canandaigua, NY
Great ideas Bob, sadly they won't be followed by the bulk of people.

I work in one of the City's emergency departments and you wouldn't believe the idiots that come there because "I have the flu". I am not talking elderly, immunocompromised people, I am talking people between 20's and 50's who are otherwise healthy. They come out in public, expose everyone they come into contact with and expose the staff and so on and so forth.

I see this attitude a million miles away when birdflu does hit the USA.

Sadly the only way I see this from not happening is having the old "quarantined" signs on homes when a person has the flu.

Your idea is a good one. One I hope that can be put forth and followed.

# 22. 3/14/06 9:07 AM by Rick - Arlington, VA
I am not worrying about this in the slightest and as a matter of habit I am always stocked up with a month's worth of food and water, but this column is a pretty good public service on your part.

Best of all, Lynn got what he deserved. Did that scene remind you of "Wrath of Khan" when Spock did the same thing, or what?

Editor's Note: spock was the innocent sacrifice, linn was getting his due. one cleaned up other people's mistakes, the other cleaned up his own.

# 23. 3/14/06 9:09 AM by General Electric
(light bulb over my head)

If I am to prepare for a tragedy such as some kind of flu, I will also include in my plans a casket and a grave.

When the Spanish Flu hit the world in 1918, killing some 20,000,000, there was a shortage of caskets.

I think it would be a great idea to purchase a casket or two now and fill it up with some rice, flour, plenty on canned goods, beer, etc.

# 24. 3/14/06 9:12 AM by Greg - Canandaigua
You are such a melodramatic paranoid, Bob. And you just delight in spreading the same paranoia to your sheeplike followers. This isn't the first time you've suggested bird flu is going to wipe us out. Despite the facts that there is no communicable form of the disease, and that standards of handling in the poultry industry in the United States make it extremely unlikely that we would ever even have a large outbreak in poultry. But don't let that stop you from fantasizing about your dream come true: you get to hole up in your basement and shoot your neighbors when they try to get your food.

You're such a clown. That wouldn't be so bad, but give a clown a microphone or a website and some gullible people and then it becomes no laughing matter. You are the kind of person who leads idiots to cover their house in plastic and then take no responsibility when the morons suffocate.

You say there is "no reason" to believe we won't have epidemics like they did in the past 2 centuries. Ah, yes, there is. Since the discovery and use of antibiotics, there has been no incidence of large percentage mortality disease in this country. Your speculation is low brow sensationalism and nothing more. Looking forward to your 5th grade level response saying how the world will be better after I perish from bird flu. Love ya man!

Editor's Note: you might want to take this up with the department of health and human services

# 25. 3/14/06 9:13 AM by MikeNTNY - North Tonawanda, NY
Hay Bob, As the recient events in New Orleans have so clearly shown the fabric of our society is not as durable as we would have thought. The items you mention are very good. I might add that potable water is also a must. Any good camping supply outlet have very good portable filter systems for turning raw water into drinking water. Boiling water and adding a few drops of chlorine bleach is also good. If we loose our electric power, natural gas and water for any length of time would be a disaster,for our forefathers of 100 years ago it would be a normal day. A bit of outdoor skills is common sence for anyone.

# 26. 3/14/06 9:33 AM by Biff
Awww! I'm not afraid to die. Besides, I have some terrific recipes for human flesh.

And remember, when you're eating people, "elbows off the table" does not apply.

# 27. 3/14/06 9:49 AM by Fred - Roch
Given this senario, I am not sure we want to be around for the aftermath.

High death rate, everyone staying home, a ruined economy followed by rioting looting, killing civil strife.

New Orleans will look like a vacation hotspot.

Let us hope that this turns out to be another swine flu scare.

# 28. 3/14/06 9:55 AM by Pete
Refusing to ensure one's future self-reliance during an emergency is one thing, but to scoff at those who prepare is something else.

Our pantry is full, but we can only part with so much food before we short ourselves. My family comes first. Slackers come last.

If they're not smart enough to stock a few cases of canned soup that costs 39 cents a can at Aldi's, the least they can do is keep their ignorance to themselves.

God help them with a catastrophe hits.

# 29. 3/14/06 10:09 AM by Annie Oakley
26% of the people responding to your poll only have one weeks worth of food in their home????? Holy Moly! Didn't you people get the memo?

We've made some adjustments to our emergency preparedness situation in recent years. I'd particularly like to thank you, Bob, for the backpack idea. We've moved all of the really important emergency items out of those big stupid plastic tubs and into backpacks in the hall closet. Makes a whole lot more sense. My husband had some steel, two drawer file cabinets customized to look like nightstands for our bedroom. We each have handguns locked in the top drawer. We've also conducted a few family drills that included practicing quickly opening the gun safes and where and how we would reunite with our grown children or any family members who might be away from home. Food is an important part of our readiness, but so are many other things!

Thanks for the constant reminders about the importance of this preparation!

Poor, poor Edgar. Poor, poor Tony. I'd like to call for a moment of silence.

# 30. 3/14/06 10:22 AM by Elmer Purdy - Marion, NY
Yeah, yeah the sky is falling. We're all gonna dieeeeeeeeee!!! Hey Bobbo, how should we get ready for Earth to be hit by an asteroid? What about a solar flare cooking us like chickens? Mmmmmm, roasted chickens. Aliens could attack! Only tin foil hats can fend them off!! Tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, THE END IS NEAR!! Soylint Green is made out of people!! Arrrrrrghhhhhhh!!

# 31. 3/14/06 10:28 AM
I still blame Nixon.

# 32. 3/14/06 10:28 AM by Mr. Spock - Currently on TDY to Romulus
Linn did figure out Jack's obsolete code, so he deserves some credit. He simply did not wish to reveal that he was physically drubbed by a wimp of a drug addict.

Pride will be the downfall of you humans.

Editor's Note: he died before his time

# 33. 3/14/06 10:37 AM by philip - tooele
To all you nay-sayers out there, "Fools mock, but they shall mourn" "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" and "Hey, what's wrong with a little old-fashioned preparation?" (That last one was mine!)

# 34. 3/14/06 10:47 AM
Bob, what is wrong with some of these readers? They'd rather die than live without the fluff they've become so accustomed to? Does that include their children?

They got to be liberals, right?

Even during catastrophic times they'll be fighting to take what we've stored and give it to those who haven't.

The attitudes are scarier than the catastrophes. Maybe it is time to buy a shotgun.

# 35. 3/14/06 11:00 AM by Leroy Jenkins - Buffalo, NY
Having some extra food, water, and supplies in your home is only common sense. Can't disagree with that. Modifying your nightstands to miniature arsenals is a bit nutso. Taking the advice of a person who irrationally believes a non existent flu is going to kill us might be a little unreasonable too, don't you think? Need I remind you this person has hoarded years worth of food and water in his personal bunker? Yes, I can just see all you people calling the bank and telling them you won't be paying the mortgage because you can't go to work while you are hiding out from bird flu. Can't you see how crazy that is?

It is wise to be prepared. It is foolish to worry about things you cannot control. Worrying about a disease that doesn't exist in humans is not wise. It is CNN style panic mongering. You want to worry about something real? Worry about North Korea nuking us. That could really happen.

# 36. 3/14/06 11:26 AM by Joe
Sounds like valid reasons for closing our borders. Might it be better to control our borders rather than hide in our basements?

# 37. 3/14/06 12:04 PM by Greg - Lexington, Ky
Humm... I agree if the pandemic hits the prudent thing would be to keeping your family protected and away from others. However, how long do you think the mortgage companies would put up with you not paying them not to speak of the utility companies. How many people are solvent enough to not work for 3 months? That's the catch 22.

# 38. 3/14/06 12:11 PM by Buddy Boy
HEEEEEEEEy Bob

Way to go...be the good boy scout and as the motto says "Be Prepared" and drink lots of fluids

Buddy Boy

# 39. 3/14/06 12:26 PM by Cameron - Salt Lake City, UT
With 20/20 hindsight the nation gnashes their teeth because we are told that the President didn't swoop in and save everyone that was ill-prepared for a natural disaster.

Now the nation mocks this same government for preparing for a possible (likely?) future natural disaster.

Stop whining.

# 40. 3/14/06 12:26 PM
If we got home quarantine I guarantee the government would come around with trucks full of canned asparagus.

In which case it would be better to die.

# 41. 3/14/06 12:38 PM by Ron
Thanks for a very useful and responsible column. I know that's a lame comment, but that's about all there is to say.

# 42. 3/14/06 1:08 PM by Liz - Hudson, Oh
Bob, It saddens me to see that you are playing into this politics of panic, bird flu hype. Mass hysteria, good for politicians, lobbyists, and the GIANT pharmaceutical industry. The Bio Defense Shield bill...a $453 BILLION dollar spending bill for pharmaceutical company research with back door legislation; 1)shields pharm. companies from ALL litigation resulting in injury from bio defense vaccines 2) accelerated FDA approval 3)insure there is a market! Get in line, bird flu is coming....the government says you must get vaccinated! With the rush to develop a possibly unsafe vaccine to combat a virus discovered in 1959 with an ever changing strain that has infected hundreds if not thousands and has barely killed anyone, makes this a dangerous game. The 1976 outbreak of Swine Flu that killed 1 person, got 40 million Americans vaccinated because of an exaggerated threat. The vaccine program was shut down because it killed 30-60 people and paralyzed thousands with Guillain-Barr Syndrome. Later was realized as a huge biological failure due to ever changing strains and the possibility that ones own body has a proper immune system to combat the virus. Millions of $'s were paid out to the injured. Let's wake up and smell the bird doo doo!

# 43. 3/14/06 1:34 PM by tk - Rochester, ny
Yah --- Well you better have a 12 gauge shotgun & ammo also. Time & time again the most violent, vocal, and deprived are the most unprepared but willing to take yours. If you are unwilling or unable to defend your stuff they will take it from you.

Editor's Note: may i recommend .223?

# 44. 3/14/06 1:46 PM by Erika
Ditto Greg (#37).

I can stockpile food and water til the cans touch my ceilings. That's not gonna do me any good after I have been evicted. Can only fit so many cans into trunk of the car I will be living in. Not all of us have the luxury of working from home.

# 45. 3/14/06 2:27 PM by Big Bill Blossom
Do what I do, Bob. Pack it on now, with cheese, peanut butter, and the NCAA finals. A nice little pot belly will last for months.

# 46. 3/14/06 2:41 PM by Pete - Fairport, NY
My family and I usually have about one year's worth of food on-hand. However, with the terrible economy, this has been impossible for us to do. Now that both my wife and I are working, we will stock up on the food.

# 47. 3/14/06 2:56 PM by Grandma
I'm amazed at the negative reactions to your very timely column. Some thoughts: 1. Bird flu isn't the only thing that could cause an epidemic. 2. Closing the borders, while it is certainly necessary, will not deter the birds from flying in. Nor will it stop air-borne organisms from coming across borders. 3. Antibiotics, wonderful as they are, are totally ineffective in dealing with viral infections. 4. When grocery stores aren't able to re-stock shelves, it won't matter if individuals are able to get out to those stores. 5. Storing non-perishable foods is a good idea, regardless of the "threat level." This I learned while in graduate school, living on a budget that allowed only $10 for groceries each month; and even in 1967, that wasn't much. That covered two adults and two kids. Thank goodness for food storage. 6. Food and water are not the only things we need to stockpile. Imagine life without toilet paper. (Sears doesn't have mail-order catalogs anymore, you know.) 7. I live alone now in a TINY space. I store things under the bed, under tables. Use your imagination. 8. There's no need for panic--YET. But wise people will plan and prepare.

# 48. 3/14/06 3:36 PM by Bambi - SLC, UT
You know there are lots of reasons to have a good supply of food for the family. Not just a national disaster. What about an accident to the main bread winner? What about a death? It would be hard to have a good supply and not share, but if I had children, they would come first neighbors second. I have no idea about this flu. It seems to have been blown so far up that it's hard to know the truth. However, being prepared for any emergency is only smart thinking.

# 49. 3/14/06 3:58 PM - Rita
Bob, I'm ignorant about shotguns. What's better suited for an older woman, a .10 or .20 gauge. Something entirely different?

The consensus seems to be, if I can't plan for scenario D, why bother planning for scenario A, B and C. Crazy!

Looks like I might have to fight the fools off at my doorstep.

Editor's Note: 20 gauge. a 10 gauge would tear your arm off.

# 50. 3/14/06 4:18 PM by Salty
Hi Pal. How ya doin'?

I had a little bird,

His name was Enza,

I opened the window,

and in flew Enza!

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