We may not know which of the deadly strains of the bird flu will eventually hit the U.S.

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt

But Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt is offering a rather specific warning about how to prepare for the disease. He urges Americans to buy extra cans of tuna and powdered milk and stash them under the bed to get ready.

It's not the first thing you might think of to protect yourself against a potential pandemic.

"Let me acknowledge that no one in the world is prepared for a pandemic," Leavitt said this weekend at a conference in Wyoming. "When you go to the store and buy three cans of tuna fish, buy a fourth and put it under the bed. When you go to the store to buy some milk, pick up a box of powdered milk. Put it under the bed. When you do that for a period of four to six months, you are going to have a couple of weeks of food, and that's what we're talking about."

Leavitt, on a nationwide tour to raise awareness on the Avian flu, is raising some eyebrows.

Some people may be reminded of former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge saying duct tape and plastic wrap were supposed to protect us from Anthrax.

Now, tuna and powdered milk are being offered as solutions for the Avian flu.

"It's a good reminder we should always be prepared for an emergency," says Art Reingold of the U.C. Berkeley School of Public Health.

But in preparing for a bird flu pandemic, Reingold says he'd like to see the federal government focus on preparing a vaccine, which is still years away and getting more money to local authorities.

"There really is not a strong enough public health infrastructure either on the laboratory side or the epidemiology side or the other aspects of public health that will be important," Reingold said. "If you have a vaccine to help the pandemic, that's going to be way better than saving tuna and dried milk."

Tony's note: Tuna is fine, but I recommend stocking more Dinty Moore Beef Stew. In an emergency under high stress, eating plain tuna would be pretty demoralizing.

And make sure you have plenty of water storage.

To read the government recommendations on emergency food and water supplies, go here:

http://www.fema.gov/library/emfdwtr.shtm