Some Ways to Prepare for the Absolute Worst

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"Getting ready for the next disaster doesn't seem so crazy anymore. Mrs. Stegner, who is the host of a radio show on preparedness and sells survival products from a store in nearby Humansville, says it has been easy to "get labeled a nutcase" for worrying about catastrophes. But she and other survivalist outfitters are noticing how, at least right now, the general public is a bit more receptive.

John Maniatty, who runs the FrugalSquirrels.com Web site out of Morrisville, Vt., says he is getting six times the traffic he had in early August and considerably more than after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. "So many more normal people - I use that term because I get wackos, too - are taking a look," he said.

You don't have to go as far as a survivalist, but you can certainly learn from them. Here is a distillation of advice from emergency preparedness experts from across the spectrum:....."more