Prepper's, survial is not just for nuts anymore-

http://www.ready.gov/america/index.html

From the Ready.gov website- FEMA, DHS
You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer. ---

To be fair, this stuff is sort of a no brainer, but in the wake of ever dwindling city , state and federal response resources needed to fill the budget gaps left by keeping the rich well, rich. At least the government is finally admitting that we may be all alone if something bad happens. We're not talking about stocking guns and ammo like some nazi survivalist from a bad 80's movie, but a direct warning from our govt that in the wake of disaster we will be on our own for a time, and an indirect command to be prepared for it or suffer the consequences.

That is what happened to us after the house fire, the red cross put us up for two days, and what was in the safety box was what we had to eat as the credit cards all burned up and we had little cash in hand. It would have been ugly otherwise, with no ID, and as working folks unable to get any assistance from the state in the short term. Money in the bank granted, but no way to get it. It was ugly . Luckily we planned ahead or a truly bad situation could have been much worse.
It is unfortunate that basic planning ahead has come to be linked in the minds of many people with the extreme right and such, but be that as it may the day may come when you need to be prepared for some big or little emergency and if you aren't, it's going to suck to be you.
Peace,
David