I was walking home after dark from work a few years ago when a blackout hit.

Couldn't see my hand in front of my face. Creepy, to say the least.

Fortunately, I could feel the Petzl Zipka in my purse.

That Petzl paid for itself ten times over on the rest of the walk home.

Which brings to mind my newest greatest gear purchase: Doug's tiny e-GEAR PICO light. I have one on my key lanyard for walking my dog and another on my car key ring. It's just an inch and a quarter long and virtually weightless.

http://www.essentialgear.com/store/p/117-eGear-PICO-LED-Zipper-Lite.html

Everyone should have a flashlight with them, every second of the day. One day it will be priceless.

Back to the original question in this thread, except for the human predators, I'd much rather be sheltering-in in the city than scrambling for shelter in the wilderness.

That said, if we ever have an extended power outage during the air conditioning months, I'm evacuating to the mountains to go camping.