[MayflowerMadam]

“Just boil the water! Sheesh!”

Sounds simple, but not for everyone. We had power outages in TN this weekend. Not long, and no problems, but it got us considering what we’d do in a long-term crisis. The house we just bought has an electric stove. Might change it to gas. (The “Farmers Co-Op” has a great wood cookstove like Grandpa had which could come in handy.) The FP is gas, but with an electric starter. Might change it to woodburning. Heat is gas, but thermostats are electrical.

I guess you just have to think Little House On The Prairie.

[ClearCase_guy]

If you care, you could research water purification. It's a very important topic. There is a lot that people can do to maintain access to potable water. Filter systems, chemical purification, etc.

I live near a river. I would not normally drink from it, but if I had to, I know that I can make that water completely safe -- so I have a permanent supply of good drinking water.

[ChocChipCookie]

Mayflower, consider getting a Sun Oven. sunoven.com As long as there are sunny skies, it reaches temperatures of 350 to 400 degrees. Also, invest in an $8 WAPI, a low-tech water purification indicator. With the Sun Oven, a WAPI, and some sun, you can cook food and pasteurize water. These two products are saving a lot of lives in third world countries.