and no tongue sandwiches!

rhtt, no tv..I was awed and shocked enough today. Now it is music, listening to Oldies but Goodies on the radio How cornball am I ???

The point you are missing is that the food supply could be interupted. Just ask anyone who lived through a disastrous hurricane how long it took before their local supermarkets had food again. Thank heaven for FEMA and their bottled water and ready-to-eat meals.

I guess I am one of those folks that has a big pantry in my kitchen and love to see it full. So in our case, we are always stocked.
although if things were to go on for long, I would have to start opening all those boxes of cookies and candy that we got for Christmas

It is only prudent to have enough food and water on hand to last a few days. In the case of an emergency it would take that long for government relief agencies get organized.

It is also wise to be prepared with smaller versions of the same in your car and office.

gail,

ha ha! I felt so guilty last night for being so worried about Friends being pre-empted by the news...glad to know, I'm not alone.

Scarlett-I am like you, I keep the pantry stocked especially when there are great sales. Went out and stocked up on Easter Candy yesterday.

Gail-What wine did you buy at Trader Joe's? I have not tried any of their wine yet.

Just curious about peoples plans, if they have any...
If your city is attacked, either dirty bomb, or water contamination etc, would you pack up and leave town, or stay put? I think I'd be tempted to stay until the traffic jams cleared. Any thoughts?

If anything happens in my hometown, I am outta here. I have the back roads all mapped out and I am heading to my summer house on the Lake.

BTW-I just heard we lost 2 marines, pray for them and their families.

Yes, our family does have a plan if our area is attacked. My husband and I have agreed on what my route would be (NOT in the traffic jam areas) and where I would go. Although I know the roads I did put an atlas in the car just in case. Not being paranoid about it...but with children we just want to be cautious and have a plan.

We have stocked up. I am with the others that see no harm in being prepared. We have a few days water and food, as well as diapers and wipes for our son. I have a planned route in case evacuation is necessary, though I also would be tempted to stay at home and avoid the roads. My daughter's preschool has requested that we supply a small blanket, extra clothes a bottle of water and some food such as granola bars in the event something happens and they have to be "locked down." It takes really little effort to make some advance planning.

Our schools have not asked for supplies, but they did have an "emergency drill" last week. Scared the hell out of our daughter. They came over the PA system and told all teachers to lock classroom doors, pull shades, and stay away from windows. It would have been nice if they told the kids in advance that they would be doing drills at some future time. Instead, they had a bunch of melodramatic middle school girls hyperventilating and imagining all sorts of horrors.

Gail,
Our schools (NH) have been doing those "lock down" drills since Columbine. But I agree, there should be some warning/explanation prior. We even had a real one once, and couldn't get our kids out at dismissal. Saw some parents hyperventilating at that one! Turned out some "home schoolers" were playing war games over a walky talky, and it was picked up by the teachers' remotes.
As for the original topic... My parents were in the military during WWI, and raised four kids during the Cold War. You should have seen the canned goods we tossed when closing their home! Some were even bulging with spoiling.

Our school also asks for "comfort kits". We have lived here for 4 years and its been in effect as least as long as that. I enclose a letter, crayons, pad of paper, candy, extra socks and a warm hat. The kits are kept by the teachers right near their desks so always accessible.

Hey everybody, check out this, it's is hilarious!

http://www.uspoliticsforum.com/emergency/

Like the others that posted above I already have at least a 3 day supply of food and water since I live in earthquake country. The most important ration in my stockpile though is my case of "2 Buck Chuck"
(the bad economy vintage) from Trader Joe's. Thank goodness for TJ's!

Tape up your "tined food" and stay safe in jolly old england.