JeanetteIsabelle: As I said earlier - the idea of a mini kit is fine. But you do need extra stuff if you really want to seriously improve your odds. Definitely you will need sneakers and a warm jacket (fleece is good). These things WON'T fit into your purse at all. Therefore, the strategy I am suggesting to you is that you pack these extra bulky items in a special (larger) bag and store it in a special location. You do not need to access this emergency bag daily, or even weekly. It can sit for months in your designated location - just so long as nobody messes it up. Therefore, a part of your survival strategy is to figure out WHERE to stash this emergency bag. Maybe you've got a friend who lives close to work? Maybe there's a locker you can get for free? Maybe there is some spare storage space somewhere at your work location - some place that you can lock and nobody cares about it. It will really help you if you can find your pwn personal storage spot.

UrbanKathy: You've got a lot of great ideas there. I use bandannas for a lot of purposes. They are great for head protection (do-rags), bandages, water filters, pressure dressings, providing flammable materials to start a fire, signalling, and - believe it or not - as a very effective self-defense tool. Carry on with the good work! Some time we need to start a separate thread to discuss how to find sources of drinking water in an urban environment. This is not a trivial undertaking. That's why it is REALLY helpful to have one (or two) quarts of clean water stashed away in a place that only you can access.

Pete