Relaxing About Y2K?

It was no match for the $200 billion governments and corporations worldwide spent to prevent Y2K catastrophe, but to Dennis Olson of Hudson, Wisc., it ws a small fortune.

With $25,000 worth of food and supplies, Olson was ready for the worst-case Y2K scenario, reports CBS Early Show Anchor Bryant Gumbel.

An electrical engineer who works as a computer consultant, Olson said he doesn't feel silly about spending as much money as he did on Y2K - but he admits that he would have preferred to use it to buy a boat or to paint his house.

"We spent $13,000 on a large generator, and another several hundred dollars on a 500-gallon propane tank and short wave radio," says Olson. "And $4,000 to $5,000 on food."

He also stockpiled about 600 rolls of toilet paper.

Olson plans to donate to charity a lot of the food that he bought - after he's sure the Y2K crisis is over.

"We have eight 55-gallon water drums in case there had been water problems. We have probably 30 of these five-gallon food buckets with various bulk foods in them. Several hundred pounds of rice and beans and oats, and my wife makes bread so we have bread flour," says Olson. "We have, oh probably 200 boxes of the helper-style box dinners and several cases of beef stew and chili and 200 cans of tuna and canned chicken."

But Olson isn't parting with it yet.

"I was and still am convinced that we stand to have some fairly serious supply-chain disruptions within the next few months," he says.

Olson says he won't be willing to admit that Y2K isn't going to upset the patterns of his normal life until:

• The banks are still OK by the end of next week.
  
• The oil supply is still flowing at the end of in 30 to 60 days.
• The global supply chain is still functional after six months.

"Y2K definitely made an increase in business and we had one of the best years that we have ever had," said Sperry.

In 1999, his company sold $16 million worth of survival kits, filled with dehydrated food, battery-free flashlights, blankets, water purifiers and waterproof matches. He says he didn't exploit Y2K fears.

"We've been in the business for 25 years before this point in time. We've been helping people to become self-sufficient during that entire time and after Y2K is over, we expect to be doing the same thing," says Sperry.

Although no catastrophe happened when the new millennium dawned, Sperry says people can use his kits to be prepared for anything.

"If they didn't use it for Y2K, they'll use it for perhaps the hurricane that comes through in 2003 or the earthquake in 2505 or just use it to eat for their family."

Another way people can feel better about those stockpiled supplies is to donate them to charities that serve the poor. America's Second Harvest, a ntional organization that supplies food to 50,000 charities, launched a "Y Go 2 Waste," food drive on Monday.

"The best thing people can do is go to our Web site, where they can locate a food bank near them," said Maurice Weaver, of America's Second Harvest.

People can also call America's Second Harvest at 1-800-771-2303 to find out where the best place is to drop off food.

Weaver notes that food banks are not in need of the excess water. "They're looking for non-perishable foods - tuna, peanut butter, pasta, the shelf stable foods that will provide a nutritious meal to hungry Americans."

web link: America's Second Harvest.