To cut to the bottom line of preparing, assume there is no power and won't be any power, then prepare to replace what no power takes away. Doing that, will prepare a person for any emergency that happens whether it is natural caused or human caused.
It is that assumption of no power and it isn't coming back, that started my prepping in 1998. That is still my assumption as I continue to fine tune my preps.
Hurricane season begins June 1, and few people will notice or care until the last minute if one comes their way, then they will strip the stores as usual if they get there before everything is gone. Happens every time. Buying food and bottled water and regular batteries for their flashlight, will not replace what loss of power takes away.
People are complacent in this country since water and food is so near. They can't imagine it won't be there. Some who went through a bad hurricane in the northeast (New Jersey/New York area) now know what can happen and how long the aftermath can last.
We don't know what will happen in this country, so why not have some survival insurance along with your car insurance, house insurance, healthcare insurance, and life insurance?
assume there is no power
That too, is where I begin my Preps.
I've come to accept the truth that we are God's children and, like the benevolent Father He is, I believe He'll take our toys away from us, if for no other reason than to get our attention again.
Fortunately, we have a rich and not too distant history full of all sorts of muscle powered mechanical devices and food prep and storage in a non-electrified world.
Unfortunately, far too many are clueless about this history and want nothing to do with anything less technical than an smart phone.
Thanks and gratitude go to those like Kartographer for being our modern Noahs and speaking to ears that can hear.