[Vettezuki]

There is but a thin veneer of civilization between most of us and chaos. Natural disasters like earth quakes, hurricanes (remember Katrina), civil unrest from riots etc. can put you in a spot where you are on your own for days, maybe weeks or more before any authority reasserts itself and begins delivering aid and restoring order.

Here in CA, given that we're sort of due for a major earthquake ourselves and have occasional tendencies towards social breakdown, you might want to review your emergency preparations. You should seriously at least have a few days of bottled water, canned food (and a way to cook it other than your house), first aid kit, flash lights, etc. It could be the difference between doing ok and really suffering. Knowing where you're going to go and who you're going to hook up with is not a bad idea either. I'll only mention being armed in passing as it's beyond the basic preparation and way more personal. Just keep in mind that in a real nasty disaster there will be those who would be more than willing to relieve you of your stuff.

Beyond this you may want to consider CERT training. You can then begin to become immediately useful to those around you.