Thanks all for the positive comments. I think this storm did a lot of good in terms of awareness! Yeah, it was bad - but not near as bad as it could have been Someone pointed out that this wasn't even a hurricane! Imagine a Cat 4!!

I was pretty surprised to Mayor Bloomberg and Gov Cristy talk about "Go bags". A term previously reserved for military personnel and these forums. I've now heard co-workers on Wall St. talk about having their "Go bags" packed! This is a HUGE improvement over 9/11! Granted their bags likely consisted of a flashlight, beef jerky and bottle of vodka but at least they're thinking of it. I've also brought up the "Prius inverter" idea after reading about them here (different thread) to several car-owning friends who are going to invest in these.

Good stuff! Thanks for spreading the word and helping people prepare!

OK Bacpacjac,Im calling you out.

You are CLEARLY a PREPPER! Thats right,YOU are a Prepper.

First off,you think about how it affects your family,not just you.What a concept!

Darn right you dont become instantly prepared,and unless you are Bill Gates or Glenn Beck your preps are going to have holes in it all over the place. So be it,every prep you have puts you that much closer to safety and freedom of choice in a disaster.

A JEEP??? What are you thinking with your disaster vehicle,you think its the end of the world Huh? But doggone it,its as good as any other vehicle,in a disaster its literally miles ahead. You PREPPER you.(BTW,with that flat roof you can mount a couple solar panels and have a fine power station of your own,at home and out on the road)

You lament in making choices on what to get.I read that as you have a budget and live within it,and it makes it an evolution,not a credit card charge game. How dare you be financially RESPONSIBLE,dont you know others will bail you out. Oh that PREPPER attitude,take care of yourself.

I see you dont make excuses not to prep,you admit you can do better and strive to do so,learning every day that there are things you can do,then you do them as you are able,a very laudable PREPPER attitude.

Finally,you can do post event analysis and LEARN from it,and take action.Just like a PREPPER.

Seriously the only thing I think you struggle with is not calling a failure a failure. Some do fail,and it isnt a crime to point out where they did,its how you learn not to make the same mistakes.
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What Ive been gathering from this disaster is a great desire by many to invest in charging solutions and to take the plunge.A generator is making peoples radar and the longer the power is out the more interest it gathers,good stuff!

Others are seeing with wide open eyes their water situation is a critical failure that could cost lives,and addressing those.

Surprisingly though many dont feel a need to have food,but that will change as long as eyes are open and you see whats right in front of you,and honestly call a failure a failure when you see them happening around you with these natural disasters.

Its not a crime to call it like it is.But IMO to not call it because its a negative,the World isnt all rose tinted glasses,sorry....the World has lots of negatives and will hurt you if you cant or wont make judgement calls and learn based on failures youve read or seen.

Yes,I will slam the people who buy endless toys or living beyond their means instead of taking care of themselves,expecting others to do it for them.

I'd much prefer to see them succeed.And I have no sympathy if they reap what they sow,or didnt sow.But dont expect me to approve or apologize for those who fail by choice,or to not point it out a lesson for a wiser person to learn from. Or not,your choice.