Something worth worrying about: the avian flu

I’ve long felt like a flu epidemic is one of the biggest external threats to the U.S. right now when measured in expected lives lost over the next ten years. Reading John Barry’s book “The Great Influenza” is very sobering, but worthwhile.

It sounds crazy, but on the long list of things I’d like to do that I never get around to is to buy two weeks of food and water to put in the basement so no one in my family has to leave the house if the epidemic hits. My wife just laughs.

Tyler Cowen of Marginal Revolution shares my fears. Unlike me, he is actually doing something to prepare. He has a post here with some updates, and even a blog devoted to the avian flu here. There is no mention I could find on his site about how much food and water he has in his basement.