First, kudos for making reasonable preparations for emergencies. I have been in your metro area and city before, during, and after severe weather episodes in both summer and winter and my firsthand observations are that most folks in your area are not very prepared for "normal" emergencies... but that folks seem to open up and share information and resources pretty freely.

Transportation by personal vehicle was worse than horrible in all the storms I was there for. The Metro pretty much worked fine, but it doesn't go everywhere, so either good maps or good local knowledge were important to me (I had some of each; enough info manage). I did more walking than I normally would have - a few miles during one storm - because local road transportation was so messed up.

If you usually travel using public transportation, you may want to invest in two sets of decent maps - perhaps laminated ones (one for at home and one for your commuter kit). I find that I less well know my way around cities that I use public trans in VS actually driving myself. I suggest that you include at least a larger scale map (or several smaller maps) of outlying regions as well just in case you find it better to move away from your abode rather than towards it. If you're not possessed with an inate sense of local direction (N-S-E-W), then even an inexpensive compass that will orient you and your map to the world could be invaluable. Some of us have a direction "bump" and some don't... figure out which you are.

Eye protection? Walking into something in gloom or dark with an eye is at best very painful and can be essentially incapacitating. I prefer a clear hardshell set like shop or industrial glasses with UV protection (they usually can be fitted correctly over prescription eyewear, but check), but I do not have a deep "urban canyon" mindset. If you work/dwell in the urban canyons, perhaps some sort of dust goggles might be more to the point (they are bulkier and very conspicuous). I'd keep eyeprotection in your commuter kit.

I do not know what your N95 masks are, so cannot comment on those.

Personally, I would not be very pleasant if I did not receive an occassional infusion of tepid-to-hot coffee or tea, and I get cranky if I don't see a warm bit of food every few days, so you may want to consider some sort of inexpensive means to warm a little water or food. An unopened can of food can be safely warmed by putting it in a pan of boiling water (never directly over a heat source unless it is pierced or opened). Try this out on your apartment stove some evening - a saucepan of water set to boil with a can of whatever pleases your palate set in it - you'll find out how long you need to leave a can of that size in the boiling water. Label off, first... the water is perfectly useable for washing or making a beverage (even just hot water is good if it is chilly outside). Worst case you get a little glue gunk in the water and with a little practice you learn to avoid even that.

There are a number of posts here about what sort of heat/light/stove solutions are "best" - read at your own risk, LoL! But a 4 pack of large Sterno cans and a little experimentation at your leisure won't cost much more than your time. After that, go back and read the posts again... along those lines, a few candles and a safe way to employ them would be another inexpensive bit of kit to lay in. "Tea Candles" are very cheap and OK for indoors use, although they are not the best solution. Again, try them out first (probably cost you a buck for a package of 12) - spend a "normal" evening at home without using your electric lights and decide if they are good enough for you. Actually, two evenings in a row will give you a better perspective - expectations and needs sort themselves out better after the first trial.

A gallon per day is a little light in your summer climate. Two gallons per day is enough for short term - enough to drink and a little for personal hygene.

If it is possible that you would lose water for flushing (your scenarios and location - I cannot guess), you need to figure out how to deal with waste elimination. Urine is simple to deal with. Solid waste should get more than a casual thought. A simple solution is a used 5 gallon plastic bucket lined with several appropriate-sized garbage bags. Make a "lid" for it (as simple as a few thicknesses of corrugated cardboard with plastic taped over the side that faces down). Try to reserve the "can" for solid elimination only and replace the lid when not in use (weight the lid down with whatever is handy). You will KNOW when it is time to carefully remove the inner bag (or inner two bags if you are paranoid about leakage)... Carry the bag out and dispose/stash it somewhere "safe". If you are bored and have the cardboard, you can make a "conventional" seat for it, but carboard seats are hard to keep sanitary. The time to try a seat out is NOT when you need one - I'd do a "dry run" before there is anything nasty in the liner bags... and (I hate to mention it) - if you ever do get into a temporary survival mode, pay particular attention to personal hygene with regard to washing up after elimination. Dehydration from a GI aliment can kill a person almost overnight.

I would add a 6 pack of 20 oz GatorAdi or Sport drink to your stash and keep one or two in your commuter kit. The bottles are portable and make great "free" canteens or water bottles. There's even a nifty groove around which one can tie/duct tape a loop of cord or strip of cloth to allow you to sling the bottles from your shoulder.

Your duct tape and plastic sheeting have many many uses - don't feel awkward about having purchased those. While I have informed and spectualtive reservations about sealing myself up in a room with plastic sheeting (respiration and transpiration), the combination of plastic sheeting and duct tape has so many other useful applications that it would drive MacGiver insane... besides, did you see the carnage wrought by dust in apartments in NYC? Gee, it might even be useful for sealing things up after all (but with me outside, LoL)...

Er, is your knife sharp? Is it a good quality knife or a knock-off? Can you carry it in your commuter bag or is that a security/legal issue for you? A good Victorinox (my choice) or Wenger (also good) is not very expensive and a cheap knife is no bargain.

Look, I don't mean to drone on. Please continue to ask your questions!

Regards,

Tom