I've distilled my assumptions about emergency preparedness and discovered 5 specific assumptions that were totally wrong.

Assumption:I have enough water, or I can purify water I find.
I needed to DOUBLE my stored drinking water supply, and with this doubling came the fact that I needed to totally re-think my storage methods and transportation methods, given that my wife can't life much more than 20 lbs due to a medical condition. Purifying water is - at best - a chancy proposition. The Delaware rive was just contaminated in our area with 50,000 gallons of exceedingly toxic heavy metal waste. This is a Bad Thing because it will affect groundwater for years to come.

Assumption: I can find a safe shelter for my family.
For a while, I had removed the tent from our "go" kit as I thought it was a little silly. I mean, there's shelters all over in an emergency, right? The tent as well as blankets are back in the kit. This is bulky and a pain to carry, but I see it as ncessary.

Assumption: The Feds Have The Resources Needed to Stabilize the Situation
No they don't. 'Nuf said.

Assumption: I can hunt for food as needed
Um...no, no I can't. Sure, I can drop a deer and cut it up. Then I have to cook it, cure it, store it and more. While occasional hunting might work, the reality is that unless I've set up a base of operations for a month or so, hunting food in the quantity needed to feed a family is not going to happen during the transitional period.

[b]Assumption: I don't need a firearm for anything but hunting.
Yeah, yeah, I know "forbidden topic" on this forum and all, but I think this image says it all for me:

Now, I think something smaller and easier to manage is a better idea, however, the idea is valid. Especially after seeing what went down in New Orleans. Especially. My biggest assumption was that, like in the floods we had here, that we'd see a huge community turnout to solve problems and help one another. Maybe in my little rural area this is so, but if NYC or Philly needs to empty out, I think my silly assumptions will be off.