Geographic regions have potential disasters that are more likely than others. Here in SOCAL we have earthquakes and wildfires. Other regions have hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and serious winter storms depending on the time of year. Those can be planned for. Manmade events such as terrorist bombings are becoming something that should be considered; they've happened before and will likely occur again. Kits should take likely scenarios into account.

My ongoing kits are geared toward the big earthquake that may never come or could strike today -- you just don't know. The kit in my truck includes cold weather clothing in case there's a problem as I drive through a mountain pass. I've never seen weather in SOCAL that justifies a winter parka, but it definitely can get cold at the 4000 ft level.

Wildfires have lead time for me. Because of where I live there will be time to pack the truck with lots of stuff not normally included in a survival kit -- stuff that assumes the house will not survive. For the last big wildfire here I packed the truck and left it packed for a week. Fortunately, it didn't cross into this community. As it was I did wear a facemask from the kit to make breathing the smoke easier.

Different situations exist so different kit strategies are relevant. If I worked in a tower in a big city and drove to work I'd have a kit in the office designed to get me to my car/truck. In that case a pry-bar and headlamp might be primary tools to keep in the office. Everyone needs to evaluate the potential threats they live with and equip appropriately. It's a personal thing. You might consider terrorist bombings to be high on your list, but in reality there are other events to plan for that are real and (surprise) require the same gear. Start with never allowing your gas tank to approach "E".