If you're in a city or even a large town: get the fuck out asap! Just run a bit of a thought experiment... what would happen if the power went out and didn't come back on: - Do you have food? - Can you store it? - Can you grow it? - Is your location safe? - Do you know your neighbors, do you trust them? - Do most of the people around you rely on functioning modern society with effectively no buffer (you're 9 meals away from chaos)? I'm out of town, bugged out 7 years ago, joking to the missus that we were escaping the zombie apocalypse (I wasn't joking). Shit has happened a bit different to how I presumed it would, but to much the same effect. I procrastinate and haven't got as prepared as I should, but I still have a 7 year head start on most people. What I'm getting now are things that may soon become difficult or impossible to obtain. Things that people don't think about generally. Things like arc welding rods (I considered MIG/TIG, but shielding gas will quickly become unobtainable, arc is much more privative), tool bits for metal lathe, diamond sharpening plates to sharpen chisels/planes/etc. Basically, I'm storing up the tools and durable consumables that are necessary to make and repair other tools. If I never have need of them in a collapse scenario, then that would be a welcome relief. But if I do, I'll be so much more grateful that I have them. If you're going to do this, it's probably best not to tell anyone (nearby) that you are doing it, or broadcast your preparedness in a way that you can be identified and located. If shit goes south, people who want what you had the foresight to store will make a beeline for you and take it from you by force if necessary.