Do I also need the folding stove? Thanks for the recommendation.

The Sterno stove is cheap and dedicated to the fuel canisters, so why not? If you have time, cook with a few cans and see if you have something allready useable.

Hi Guys,<br><br>I am not a Sterno fan. I tried sterno on a bicycle trek once and I'll never do it again. They do warm things up but just barely. It takes forever to boil water for a cup of tea. <br><br>If you have a balacony on your apartment, how about a propane BBQ. Enjoy grilled food all year long and when the big one hits you are all set. Otherwise, you can find butane powered hot plates around for not much money. <br><br>David Koelzer

If quakes are easier to plan for, then why is it that I can get two day predicted tracks for hurricanes, but not for quakes? ;-) Tornados are also very easy to plan for if you live in the "right" part of the country - if it is between May and October, plan on having one.<br><br>Been thru all three. Hurricane Andrew was the easiest.<br><br>Alan

I suppose it comes down to a question of exactly which hurricane and which earthquake. Both vary considerably in intensity. It also makes a difference as to just where you happen to be with respect to the phenomenon - hurricanes have eyes and earthquakes have epicenters. In both cases, there is quite a difference between centrally located and somewhere on the margin.<br><br>One factor that makes a quake easier to plan for is that you don't need to plan for evacuation before the event - something that can be enormously complicated since everyone else will be using the same roads as you. My feelings about this are complicated by talking with my brother, who is the Public Health Director for Galveston County. There is only one way off of Galveston Island and it could get very crowded (He does not live on the island, incidentally.)<br><br>Much of the preparation for earthquakes consists of building or retrofitting adequate structures. At least in the United States, the loss of life in major quakes is relatively small. I believe that over the years, hurricanes have killed more people than earthquakes have (in the USA). So you don't have to go out and nail up plywood over windows, etc. at the last minute. You can prepare more or less at leisure and when earthquake season rolls around, you are ready! <br><br>Neither is exactly fun. Attempting to cheer my wife up, I mentioned that she should list all the things that she did not appreciate about our house, so that when we rebuilt after the big one, we could do things right. Somehow, that remark didn't seem to sit well with her, although it does make sense to me. I plan to put in a lot of sweat equity if (when) the Big One strikes fair Ventura.<br><br>In California, hurricanes and funnel clouds are virtually unknown, while some parts of the country - Texas, lower Mississippi valley - are exposed to all three hazards.<br><br>The predicted tracks are just that - predictions. Things have gotten real interesting when the hurricane didn't watch the Weather Channel and veered from the predicted path. And you can now get maps that predict the relative amount of damage from earthquakes of a given magnitude - its just the time factor that can't yet be controlled.<br><br>I guess in the end, I would prefer to be shaken, not stirred...

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>I guess in the end, I would prefer to be shaken, not stirred... <p><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>Hah...I like that. Me too :)<br><br>ANyway I picked up 2 cans of Sterno but didn't find the stoves...guess I'll have to order 'em online or something.<br><br>Any advice?

You should have access to a Smart & Final store in L.A. They have the stoves. As an alternative, just find a suitably sized can and fabricate one!

Hey guys,<br><br>Seems like the start of a poll. Put me down for prefering hurricanes (especially the ones you get at Pat O'Brians:) I've been through three hurricanes (Elana, Andrew and I can't remember) while living on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Elena ran right over where I was, the other two were peripherial hits. I've also been through two tornados. No earthquakes, though. <br><br>As Don said, you get some warning with hurricanes. Tornados generally give at least a few minutes. Earthquakes--zero. You may have made plans for dealing with a earthquake, but you get no control over where you are when it hits. Plenty of time for evacuation with hurricanes. A small amount of time with tornados, and none with earthquakes. I'll take the hurricanes anyday; that way I can watch them....on the news from a long way away.<br><br>Andy

I prefer "shake n' bake." It's what I'm used to. "Stir and mix with water" is alien to me. People are more comfortable with the familiar. So it largely depends on where you live.<br><br>John

John,<br><br>Better the devil you know, than the one you don't, eh? I agree.<br><br><br>Andy<br>