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Having plan for each one of those scenarios would probably be one of the best ways to get ready.

Having a plan in advance is critical. If there are riots in the street and the world is coming apart you will not be thinking clearly. That is why the military does general quarters drills all the time. So that your reactions in an emergency are already thought out beforehand and you are just acting out a pre planned response.

One of the hardest things I had to do was to convince my wife that in a SHTF situation not to wait for me to get home from work. If the time comes to run just get he kids clear and meet up at a pre arranged location. My dad got caught downtown in the '68 riots and my mom was home with three older kids and a baby (me). The fist time I left my oldest son at daycare, rather than with a family member, was 9/11/01. Suffice to say that by the time I got to work my normal parental separation anxiety was slightly higher than when I dropped him off an hour before. It was events like that which convinced me that riots and emergencies don't make an appointment or start when the whole family is together and at home.

Also keep at least half a tank of gas in each of the cars. In an absolute worst case under those circumstances you can siphon the gas from one into the other and still have a full tank for the run to the hills.

There have been a lot of jokes about when the zombies come you want to have one slow runner to allow you to get away. It is the people without a plan who will be the "Slow Runners" in a SHTF situation. So first come up with a plan.

Then check if your plan is realistic. One of the earlier posts talked about taking ammunition from the military. My personal plan of things to do in order to ensure a long happy life does not involve starting a firefight with the US Marine Corps or Army Rangers. Don't invest in 10,000 pounds of gear and munitions and then expect to make a run for it. Don't expect to sneak inconspicuously away with a scoped 30-06 hunting rifle and two bandoleers of ammo strapped over your shoulders. Sure that 1916 Lugar might be the most expensive piece in your collection, but it jams when even a little dirty and you can't get parts for it if you need them. If you are planning to fort up against the entire world for three years, be sure you aren't dependent on city water supplies.

Then equip yourself in accordance with the plan. Get good gear, and be sure you know how to use it. If you aren't trained in knife fighting a Swiss army knife may be a lot more useful to you than a k-bar.

Be sure you know how to use the stuff you have. Having an arsenal of hundreds of weapons won't be nearly as useful as one or two high quality pieces that you are comfortable and familiar with. Get to the range. Be able to take a snap shot and at least hit a man sized target. Be able to load your weapon in the dark, especially if you favor a revolver or don't have a bunch of spare mags. Learn to shoot weak handed. You don't need to be an expert, but your life may depend on being able to drive and shoot at the same time.

If you have camping gear be sure you know how use it. Be able to set up the tent, use the camp stove, and the proper way to dig a pit toilet. And before you laugh that last one can be very important when Aunt Mary's water gets shut off. Even if Aunt Mary has a well it probably has an electric pump. Or it might have a limited supply of water and more than the typical load of guests. Flushing ranks lower on the list than drinking, cooking, washing, watering the crops, and just about everything else.

And that brings up another great piece of gear to pick up. Head over to the surplus store and get of those fold up army shovels (entrenching tool). I have had mine in the car for so long I forgot to put it on the list. Great for getting your car unstuck on a dirt road, clearing a snow drift, digging the aforementioned pit toilet. And in a pinch it can be used to split a zombies head clean in half.

Like they say: Prior Planing Prevents Poor Performance.

Thinking out different scenarios and different plans is always a good idea.

There are a number different variables and types of emergencies to consider and plan for: Natural disaster, Terrorist attack – NBC warfare or whatever, “Economic Unrest”, etc.

Some if these scenarios could crop up suddenly, some over a period of a couple days.

Either way, forget about suddenly running out to “Whole Foods” and stocking up – most likely everyone else and his brother will have the same exact idea at the same exact time – the word ‘Chaos’ doesn't half cover it.

Having drills is a great idea – have your stuff in place and at some point send of a text message to all in you circle the exercise has started and see what happens – thankfully if it's just an exercise you can assess what went right and what went wrong and adjust you plans accordingly.