I live in the San Francisco area, so my number one planning scenario is "The Big One", a major earthquake. One aspect that makes this challenging is that when the Big One hits we will go from normal to 20 million person regional disaster in seconds with no warning.

If I am at home, I am prepared for weeks. If I have my vehicle, I am prepared for ten days. If I have my computer bag, I'm prepared for 3 days. If I'm in the backcountry, I'm more than prepared to get back to my vehicle. Probably 95% of the time I'm prepared, but what about the other 5%?

One scenario is that I stop for gas in a sketchy area. The Big One hits and the canopy over the pumps falls on my vehicle. I'm left standing in the cold and rain a long way from home with literally nothing but what is in my pockets. Or I'm in a shopping center and the parking garage collapses. I rarely take BART or other mass transit without my computer case, but it does happen, so that's another possibility.

The DR PSK is a great resource. There's one in the EK in my now inaccessible vehicle. But I don't think it is exactly what I want in my pocket in this strictly urban/suburban situation.

Currently, I have the following in my pockets: folding knife, led micro light, Fox 40 whistle, cell phone, cash, wallet with credit cards, ID, etc. As we are in the rainy season, I have been experimenting with carrying a small AMK Heat Sheet. Since my footwear is likely to be suboptimal, I just realized I'm going to need blister pads. (My feet and dress footwear don't get along.)

So what would you folks carry to prepare for a huge, regional, urban/suburban disaster that hits in seconds without warning?