I agree with martin wholehartedly. After going thru hurricane Wilma here in south florida I also learned a few valueable things from the experience. I realized very, very quickly that in any survival situation you are going to find out almost immediately what you really need, what you forgot, and that adaptability/improvisation is a paramount skill to develop.

Before the storm hit I had rougly 2 days lead time. Like the parable of the ant and the grasshopper, I saw myself as the ant. I had all my supplies ready, water bladders filled, bathtubs filled, etc. I had 2 weeks of shelf stable food (MRE's , and possiblly the best survival food of all - Chef Boyardee ravioli ), a water filter, etc, etc , etc...

Sounds like I was pretty prepared and it was a piece of cake right? Not exactly.... Some oversights on my part became glaringly obvious after the hurricane had passed over and done its damage ( which was pretty substantial in the area I live in)

Things I learned: (Good and Bad)

1. gasoline. You can NEVER have enough of it, ever. I should have had at least 20 gallons in 5 gallon gas cans stored in as secure a location as I could find. Gas was nonexistant for 4 to 6 days, and when it finally arrived in the area the lines were HOURS long ( I waited 3 hrs for 40 dollars worth), and rationed. Not to mention the potential for acts of violence in these places was very real.

2. A Syphon, or hand pump with tubing small enough to fit in an automotive fuel tank... I was lucky enough to find that my neighbor had one. It was essential in transfering fuel from one vehicle to another.

3. Always keep a couple of hundred dollars in various denominations ( 1s, 5s, 10s ) in a safe place. The electricity in my area was out for 12 days before it was restored. The phones were out for 6 days. ATM's need both to supply you with money. And credit cards are useless without it as well. I had money, but not enough in my opinion.

3. Oil Lamps are absolutely, positively, 100% the best way to light up an apartment or home at night. I had 2 lamps that I had purchased at Wal-Mart for 6 dollars a piece, and a gallon of lamp oil. They really light up the place and were a super efficient way of keeping my morale up at night. I could read a book and relax rather than sit in a pitch black box and stress out. ( like 99% of my neighbors did)

4. My Gunsafe gave me piece of mind when I was away from home after the storm. I wasn't worried about looting in the least as my safe is 500lbs (empty) and I was living on the second floor. I simply put all my valueables and papers in it and locked them up. I highly recommend getting one

5. Get your mind right... By that I mean keep your wits about you and remain calm and focused. Stay away from "panic thinking" and for that matter "panic thinkers" I can't stress this enough! Fear and stress are as contageous as the flu, stay away from it. Focus on one thing at a time. Its very easy to let your mind go in a thousand different directions at once. The look of wild desperation I saw in some people's eyes was chilling.

6. Food that doesn't require cooking, or refrigeration is hands down the best type to have. I know this sounds very obvious but you would be amazed at the number of people who were cooking on bbq pits, with charcoal or wood, and had generators running 24/7 to power a refrigerator.

7. I will never use a non LED flashlight by choice ever again. I had purchased an Eternalight, and an Inova 5 LED light for my kits and was very impressed with their performance. In fact, they still have the same batteries in them and are going strong.

8. you can never have enough toilet paper, ever... and I do mean ever.....

The title of the post is a good Mantra for any disaster/survival scenario. You have to be prepared to provide for yourself.