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Rev Open Only in Case Of Emergency I'm stockpiling food and water. I'm taking survivalist training. I'm preparing to be able to do anything in order to survive. By Novella Carpenter NOW WE ALL KNOW: The government is not going to help in the event of major crisis. Personally, I'm shaking in my boots because I live in the Bay Area, and according to New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, FEMA's Top 3 major threats to the American people in the year 2000 were: (1) Major terrorist attack in New York, (2) New Orleans hurricane and (3) major earthquake in San Francisco. By this logic, I may be battling for my life in a pile of rubble in a few years. Hence, I'm stockpiling food and water. I'm taking survivalist training. I'm preparing to be able to do anything in order to survive. This will include "looting" and stealing cars and siphoning gas. Which brings me to my point: a short lesson in emergency procedures. Please, clip this column and place in an envelope that reads, "Do Not Open Except in the Case of Emergency," because what I'm going to tell you is illegal. What if the flood victims in New Orleans could have stolen a car? They'd be alive today! A friend of mine, who will be known as BK, knows some people who were able to steal their neighbor's car when they realized they were sitting ducks if they didn't leave New Orleans, and fast. Over the phone, BK gave them instructions; here are yours, just in case. How to Steal a Car. Remember: This is only to be done in the case of a major emergency—you will never be able to get away with this kind of stealing except in the case of a dire disaster. This will take about an hour, it will be loud and the car alarm will be going off. The point is: If you are in a life-or-death situation, this information might save your life. First, make sure it's an acceptable car. Check that the tires are in shape, the muffler or drive shaft isn't dragging on the ground and the car has most of its parts. Then, try to open the door. Maybe the owner didn't lock it. If it's not open, and the water's rising, smash the rear passenger window open with a brick or heavy object. Try to cause the least damage possible, because you are going to eventually return this car. Breaking a window is actually harder to do than you think, so throw that brick hard! What really works instead of a brick is a spark plug. Something about the porcelain just shatters glass. But you don't have a spark plug on you during an emergency, do you? If you set off an alarm, don't worry about it—it's an emergency, and you have enough things to worry about besides a loud noise! Once inside, get the registration out of the glove box and place it somewhere safe in order to contact the owner after the emergency has passed. Now, remove the protective plastic thing that goes under the steering column. In order to do this, you might need to put a little muscle into it by smashing the plastic with a hatchet or something heavy. Once the plastic is removed, you'll see an aluminum lock. Take two of the screws out, and you'll see the ignition switch in the middle. Turn this locking mechanism. This mimics the tumbler turning when a key is placed inside. The car should start, and off you go to dry land. Because what you are doing is illegal, you must be more than honest in your dealings with others. For instance, you must offer rides to anyone you see who needs assistance. Or perhaps you should use the car to shuttle people to hospitals or help carry water or supplies to people who need them. What if everyone in New Orleans could have done this? The newspapers showed so many cars parked in the streets, abandoned, destroyed by the water—what if someone had "borrowed" these cars? People would be safe, cars would be safe. Please, we need more people who are willing to help, by any means necessary. You didn't hear it from me. Send a letter to the editor about this story to letters@metronews.com. [ Silicon Valley | Metroactive Home | Archives ]