Be prepared for disasters

July 21, 2008
by Kim Painter
USA Today

People struggling to pay for gas and groceries may feel "much more pressing needs" than an extra three-day cache of water and food, plus expensive first-aid supplies and extra prescription medications (which insurers may prevent people from obtaining anyway), says Jeff Levi, director of Trust for America's Health, a non-profit group that promotes disease prevention. The group recently criticized draft federal recommendations that call for every household to stockpile 20 disposable respirators and up to 100 face masks, costing up to $70, in preparation for a flu pandemic. "Piling on more recommendations" that many people can't or won't follow is senseless, Levi says.

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