A response from Vermont:
1) What are the most common emergencies you believe we face?
Hurricanes where we cannot get out of town due to flooding, power outage for a few days due to hurricane or snow.
2) What are the most catastrophic emergencies we can face?
EMP, Pandemic, Civil War.
3) What are the most probable emergencies in the near term?
Economic collapse. The above 3. Federal tyranny from both sides (the right is more likely to do away with the 4th Amendment and aspects of religious freedom – like being a pagan or Muslim; while the left will get rid of the 2nd Amendment, socialize everything, and ban what they don’t like – but that’s just my very personal opinion).
4) What are the priorities in preparing? (from most important down to least)
A safe location to bug in/bug out to.
Routes – to get there (google maps can be set to bike or walking routes, then determine your route and print it out).
Water – at site and water while getting there (hand pump, Berkey filter, lifestraws for the journey) – you won’t last more than a very few days without water.
Food – ways to grow food, seeds, garden space of roughly 1,000 square feet per person, tools to prep a garden (hoe, shovel, broadfork), a .22 for small game, pre-stored rice & beans.
Heat – woodstove and tools to work it up: chainsaw, crosscut saw, axes, wedges, a sled or cart to haul it in, a bonus would be a come-along or Maasdam rope puller to help you both pull trees in the direction you want them to go, as well as for hauling logs.
Defense – manpower and firepower. See the Security and Defense heading.
Medical supplies – the Doom & Bloom book, a stethoscope, PDR manual, gloves, bandage supplies, NSAIDs, dewormers, and antibiotics.
Communication – a Faraday cage and radios.
Just my 2 cents.