declan_murphy@hotmail.com wrote:

> Even in a worse case scenario, I wouldn't imagine being without
> assistance for much more than a week.

That's because you aren't preparing for a sufficiently major emergency. 
I found that these books have helped me gird myself for the calamities 
that are likely to strike in my future:
http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Survival-Guide-Complete-Protection/dp/1400049628
http://www.amazon.com/How-Survive-Robot-Uprising-Defending/dp/1582345929
KWW