IMHO - I believe that the #1 item on a survival list is a weapon.

A good way to prepare for future emergencies is to list the threats and the corresponding solutions. The RULE OF 3 categorizes threats by the time they can greatly effect you. With this kind of thinking in place, you will respond to threats in the correct sequence. THE RULE OF 3 is often summarized that you can die from: blood loss in 3 seconds, air loss in 3 minutes, heat loss in 3 hours, water loss in 3 days, food loss in 3 weeks, shelter loss in 3 months and health loss in 3 years.

The defensive weapon addresses the immediate threat -

FEAR OF LIFE
FEAR OF GREAT BODILY INJURY
SEXUAL ASSAULT
SEXUAL ASSAULT OF ANOTHER

These four threats occur many times in our lives.

Some times returning fire is more important than starting one.

A thought provoking planning list may be of interest. GOOGLE : "AMERICAN SURVIVAL CHECKLIST"