Too many people are living with their heads in the sand with no sense of personal responsibility.

"If I'm not a camper and I expect nothing bad to happen. If anything ever really does happen, the govn't has to take care of me. Why would I buy extra stuff, especially the best of the best, to sit and collect dust?"

The FEMA lists aren't for us. I did start there though. The FEMA lists, like Red Cross, Get Prepared Canada, and most store-bought survival kits, provide a good basic starting point for preparedness. They aren't the be all and end all, but are better than nothing. Even though we ETSers have fun making it that way, preparedness doesn't have to be rocket science. If FEMA makes it too complicated, or if they are viewed as too expensive, the general population won't buy-in. If FEMA could somehow simplfy, and consolidate their lists, more people might buy-into the basics.

To my mind, the other crucial thing that's missing is the next step - an acknowledgment that even though their goal is to get to people within three days, they won't always be able to do that and every citizen needs to be prepared for that. Too many people seem to expect FEMA, the RED CROSS, somebody or anybody to do everything for everyone during an emergency. I'm not sure the FEMA site, Get Prepared Canada or the Red Cross, go far enough to dispell that thinking.

EDIT: Here's our Canadian equivalent: http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx