My advice for a newcomer: relax a little and don't freak out about every possible threat. Just plan for the realistic possibilities. It's probably not worth blowing the kids' college funds and taking out a second mortgage to build a radiation-hardened bunker.

Also, don't compromise and buy junk gear. If you buy a junk $20 knife, you'll still want that $150 knife and eventually buy it too. Either skip the $20 knife step and go right to the $150 knife or pick the best quality $20 knife and live with it.