Bomb Shelter Extra

It was somewhat troubling to hear a noted radio "personality" describe Hurricane Irene as "...a gift from God" since I'm not so sure all the folks along the path of the storm felt especially gifted. It seems that the point the speaker was making had to do with the tenet of the Mormon religion that applies to self-reliance in that church members are encouraged to depend only upon themselves (and, supposedly, God) when the time comes that food becomes a critical shortage.
This calls into mind the era of the Cold War during which people in this country (and, I suspect, in Russia as well) were building fallout shelters in preparation for the soon-to-be-destroyed end of the world resulting from nuclear confrontation between the super powers. Rations were being stockpiled, and movies were even being made which showed how neighbor would deny neighbors space in a family shelter suited for only a select few. Scary stuff.
I think people finally threw away all the crackers and other foodstuffs guaranteed to last forever (Twinkies, for example) with foolish grins on their faces as they realized that nobody really wanted to blow up the world: it was just an early version of the World Series of Poker. This is why I cannot get too worked up about supposed crazy megalomaniacs (are there sane ones?) having nuclear power. Their joy at having destroyed the godless would last only as long as it took them to realize that they, too, would either be destroyed or have nothing nor anyone to gloat over once total destruction is assured.
Now, however, we have come full circle and are being reminded by the doomsdayers that it's time to start building up our supplies of food again (like those people along the East Coast wish they had). In accordance with what I've read about the Mormon doctrine, we should gather a three-month supply of food that includes
300 pounds of wheat, white rice, corn and other grains and
60 pounds of dry beans and other legumes.
This should be enough for a family of four for three months of isolation.
So as not to appear too naive, I would presume there would also be a requirement for water since without it, the other things would be useless.
It doesn't take a movie like Avatar to convince me that the final battle will NOT be over food but over water. Living near the Great Lakes either gives me a great advantage or puts me in great danger of attack.
The end will not be pretty, but , hopefully, it will be quick!