Disaster Prep For Morons

So, I've been thinking about how woefully unprepared I am for any actual disaster.

When caught in the eye of a twister, for instance, do you REALLY want to fight your way out of the car and lie in a ditch or should you stay put?

I would have thought this was an unlikely scenario for us in Park Slope except....

As it happens, I could probably keep ignoring the whole slightly end-of-days vibe except for a constant stream of reminders in the last 24 hours and the fact that I couldn't think of anything else to write about.

First. The broken trees and out-of-control killer cabs.

Two. The dual headlines this morning, "NYPD Tightens Surveillance in Subway's Ring of Steel" and "Snooki Wants to Move to Brooklyn."

Three. My seven-year-old now wants to discuss "what to do if" ALL THE GD TIME. I feel like I'm talking to my great aunt Frances after the memory loss. Think circular. Last night's topic: what to do in the event of a fire. Our discussion only ended after I threatened to leave her out on the fire escape if she didn't go to bed.

And Four. I ran into an old family friend yesterday who is, ironically, in the disaster preparedness biz. He's currently working on a project to set up neighborhood emergency councils so neighbors can pool together "in the event of..." Also, he's lobbying for local rainwater collection in case something happens to our reservoirs (which, I guess, in light of planned natural gas drilling alone let alone the whole terrorism thing, may not be so far-fetched as it sounds).

By the way, does Park Slope have any such disaster club? Should FIPS organize it? I can see it now...

Actually, that poster is from last week's NYC International Preparedness Network Convention. I kid you not. Sorry I missed the doings, espesh "Disaster Preparedness and Self-Reliance Clinic and City Tour."

Wow. Back in the post 9/11 days, my husband was all about the duct tape. And now that I'm thinking about it, he did make a push for getting a rowboat to keep in Red Hook just in case. 

But, this disaster prep is a whole new world. I'm torn between stocking up on a fully-loaded emergency kit and hiding under my dining room table.

Calling all urban survivalists, calling all citified armageddonists and Cloverfield devotees... what do you think we should be doing?