Firstly, we should act in the way, which should be good if everybody will act in the same way.
Really? I’d generally prefer to act in the ways that will be most successful given my predictions of other people’s actual behavior. The question isn’t “how should a population of Hofstadterian superrationalists, who will independently figure out the best way to cooperatively act, prepare?” It’s “how should we prepare?”, and I infer you really mean “how do you intend to act and how do you recommend I act?”.
I don’t currently see a need to prepare any differently than normal life: I keep about a week’s very comfortable supplies (which is ~3 weeks rationed non-water supplies) for my family, and a somewhat extensive first-aid kit. I recommend the same to you (and anyone else who asks). If you’re particularly cautious or altruistic, you can multiply by the number of neighbors you want to care for in a disaster. I also recommend a “go bag” with some portable supplies and money so you can evacuate very rapidly if necessary (and pre-commit to “in an emergency evacuation, we’re not taking anything we can’t carry—we set any pets free outside, we lock the doors and GO”). It’s a very personal decision whether you want weapons available and the required training to be safe and effective with them.
In most big cities, any more preparation than that is dominated by significant lifestyle change and moving somewhere less populated. A cabin or vacation home you can pre-evacuate to if it looks MUCH worse than today would be ideal. Any extended collapse (say, no services for 4+ weeks) is just going to kill most people who didn’t get out.
For my current understanding of this outbreak, the normal prevention mechanisms (wash hands a lot, don’t touch your face, etc.) are sufficient as well. If it gets noticeably worse, I’ll add gloves and drive to work rather than using public transit for awhile.
Really? I’d generally prefer to act in the ways that will be most successful given my predictions of other people’s actual behavior. The question isn’t “how should a population of Hofstadterian superrationalists, who will independently figure out the best way to cooperatively act, prepare?” It’s “how should we prepare?”, and I infer you really mean “how do you intend to act and how do you recommend I act?”.
I don’t currently see a need to prepare any differently than normal life: I keep about a week’s very comfortable supplies (which is ~3 weeks rationed non-water supplies) for my family, and a somewhat extensive first-aid kit. I recommend the same to you (and anyone else who asks). If you’re particularly cautious or altruistic, you can multiply by the number of neighbors you want to care for in a disaster. I also recommend a “go bag” with some portable supplies and money so you can evacuate very rapidly if necessary (and pre-commit to “in an emergency evacuation, we’re not taking anything we can’t carry—we set any pets free outside, we lock the doors and GO”). It’s a very personal decision whether you want weapons available and the required training to be safe and effective with them.
In most big cities, any more preparation than that is dominated by significant lifestyle change and moving somewhere less populated. A cabin or vacation home you can pre-evacuate to if it looks MUCH worse than today would be ideal. Any extended collapse (say, no services for 4+ weeks) is just going to kill most people who didn’t get out.
For my current understanding of this outbreak, the normal prevention mechanisms (wash hands a lot, don’t touch your face, etc.) are sufficient as well. If it gets noticeably worse, I’ll add gloves and drive to work rather than using public transit for awhile.