Many local communities have caches for "disaster recovery". For those of us who live in an urban/suburban environment, we might not make it "to the hills". Or we may choose to stay and help out near home. If you need to go to your kid's school to retrieve your children, perhaps that is as far as you need/want/be able to go. Why not offer to help the school prepare their emergency supplies? Why not offer to help and coordinate some basic training for the school staff? (Some states have teacher mandates for first aid, CPR, AED, etc. Become a Red Cross instructor and volunteer to teach the teachers and other staff.) Offer to help maintain and rotate their stock. Coordinate donations of supplies. Write a grant for equipment and supplies and training. Be the school's ham radio operator.

Don't have small children? How about doing the same thing at the local community center or for your homeowner's association or apartment building?

By being on this board, you have a wealth of knowledge to share with your community. Why not do it now. Help others and you might also help yourself.

BTW, my immediate neighbors are part of my survival plan. They look after us, and we look out after them. We all have basic "earthquake supplies" (the PC term in the Bay Area), and have supplemented those with what we think we might need. We also store some supplies at each other's homes, just in case.

Like many on this board who work in public safety, my SO and I will be going to work in most emergencies. This is the life that we chose, and we have no complaints. My two trusted neighbors have keys to the house, and are welcome to whatever they need to make it through. The opposite is also true.

Surviving an emergency, no matter what it is, is made much easier with a small group. You have to sleep sometime, and maybe someone needs to say up and keep watch. Also, I sleep warmer with my SO with me, and so does she.