All of this may seem overkill, but the San Andreas Fault is less than 1/4 mile from my house. A quake like the recent Japan event, a level 9 will take out everything in my area. So I may very well need this eventually. I also had friends that were in LA when Katrina hit, the stories they told me about having to survive were an eye opener. Think about what you need for your specific area. Most things are universal, but you may need specialized items depending on climate.