Supermarket shelves are empty, the power is out, and looters run rampant through the streets. The sewers are overflowing, the government has fallen, and you can't access your email.
But you: You're serene and secure in a South Pacific mansion, happily and safely toasting this thing called Y2K.
You have just entered Y2K Paradise.
Read ongoing Y2K Coverage- - - - - -
A New Zealand entrepreneur is hoping that the threat of Y2K disaster will get the wealthy thinking about where they'd like to be and how they'd like to be living it up if and when the world's computers turn life into hell.
"We're offering a kind of insurance policy against the negative effects of Y2K," said Andre Illemann, founder of Y2K Paradise.
"If it does happen, you�ve got the peace of mind [of] knowing that all will be cared for. We're aiming for people who just don�t like living without their comforts for a long period of time."
Illemann is offering an exclusive, 90-day Y2K getaway package for anyone with a heap of cash, a taste for the finer things in life, and a horror of going without them for too long.
As part of the Y2K Paradise plan, guests will be quartered in luxurious, fully furnished New Zealand mansions staffed 24-hours a day with a chef and housekeeper, luxury vehicles, and access to "all-you-can-eat" gourmet food. Not to mention plenty of fine wine to wash it down.
The package runs from 20 December to 31 March, with an option to extend in the event that Y2K problems persist. "Guests will be far away from any threats of the normal population," Illemann said.
"We're going to have refrigerated containers of food onsite that will provide for a 90-100 day period. Guests are guaranteed water, food supplies, power and storage. We're making the properties suitable and self-sufficient, with alternative power supplies that are not dependent on the town's main supplies of water and sewage."
Priced at a minimum of US$200,000, the package is a serious investment for an unlikely scenario. But Illemann believes it's better to be safe -- and happy -- than sorry.
"I think something is going to happen, and I don't think it'll happen on the stroke of midnight," he said. His Web site is more explicit, conjuring up images of a world darkened by the ravages of Y2K:
"Just imagine life for a time (days, weeks, or even months?) without power, water, food, sanitation, heating -� just the basics of life! Could YOU fit into this picture: a freezing winter; people �- lots of them desperate enough to do anything to survive; money tied up in the bank or in stocks, powerless to help you during a time when you�re most vulnerable?"
Critics say Illemann's predictions are a bit extreme.
"No situation on the planet is risk-free," said Leon Kappelman, a Y2K expert at the University of North Texas. "Y2K presents some risk. Nobody is going to be immune. Our expectations should be realistic. I'm not sure stockpiling 90 days of supplies is cost-effective."
Although he hasn't secured any takers just yet, Illemann plans to hold a Dutch auction over the Net in the next few weeks to determine the final price of the Y2K packages.
All packages will have a minimum asking price of $200,000, but Illemann is aiming higher, hoping for something in the $350,000-$500,000 range.
"I believe in responsibility with luxury," he said. "I feel that when offering these packages there's got to be some responsibility to help people to ride through the storm."
