Probably like the rest of us, I, too, rest easier knowing that I'm prepared for however the cards are dealt.

I've come to these 2 conclusions:
1) no matter what the scenario, the odds are in your favor that you'll make it, and more so if you're more prepared
2) it's the stupid, little stuff that usually gets you. (ie more people are killed in car wrecks because they weren't using their seat bets than those by chemical weapons). It comes down to reducing risk. I know there's some saying about a superior sailor using his superior judgement so he doesn't have to use his superior skills.

I recently attended a presantation entitled "Mother nature is still the greatest terrorist". It drives the point home that the survival situations we're most likely to encounter are fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, ice storms, etc. and that we can learn a lot about preparedness in general, by knowing what it takes to be prepared for a natural disaster. In NC, more people usually die cleaning up from hurricanes (heart attacks, accidents, etc.) than from the actual storm. (see conclusion #2)

So, short of an out and out nuclear holocaust, the sheer numbers are pretty much always in your favor.