[cosgrove]

As someone who has never had to truly live through a disaster (knock on wood), I found this story to be compelling in thinking about disaster planning: http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/index.html

>On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina became the largest natural disaster in United States history. After the levees failed, it became the largest man-made disaster in United States history. This blog is a chronicle of what happened to myself and my family during those events. It is also a documentation of lessons learned from a survival and recovery viewpoint.

I think it delivers a lot more backstory on what happens when you don't prepare for something, which you don't get simply reading a how-to list.