“The typical American household has made no preparation for anything but the state-debt-feudal Status Quo: they have essentially no food, cash or energy in reserve, leaving the household extremely vulnerable to the slightest disruptions in income, energy and food delivery. How bad can things get? I confess to following Andy Grove’s dictum that ‘only the paranoid survive.’ Clearly, a healthy appreciation for risk and the benefits of advance planning should obstacles arise offers selective advantages. Even if 9 of 10 problems run into the ditch, it pays to look ahead and think about what responses are likely to be the lowest cost and most successful should any of the 10 reach us.”
http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-bad-can-things-get.html