To me it's just a matter of knowing that in a disaster/emergency, I can fend for myself at least for a period of time until rescue. Having been in the EMS field, I learned quickly that in a disaster, many people just can't function and give up and wait for someone else to help them. I look at it this way, in those situations you are either part of the solution or part of the problem, each of us, by maintaning emergency stuff at home, cars, and on us, relieve emergency personel from having to "deal" with us, so that they can go on to people more in need.