I think Will has hit it. It seems unlikely that your EDC would be much help if you are trying to escape a car that just fell in the river, but it sure would be a good thing if you were a bystander. And you'd sure want that bystander who just pulled you out of the river to have something to address the blood gushing out of your leg...

That said, think about it this way. Let's say that it had been sabotage. The city shuts down all the bridges to check them. You are stuck wherever you are with whatever you have.

There are lots of ways this can happen. Power outages take out the subways. Floods close the roads. Snow storms. Earthquakes.

I think it's a good idea to assume that you could get stuck pretty much anywhere for at least 24hrs with whatever you have on you.

-john