Glad to hear you'll have an emergency kit. When I said dependent mentality what I meant was that if you don't make plans for yourself and your family chances are you will be dependent on someone else to give you emergency supplies. The government wouldn't be the only choice it could be a friend, neighbor, maybe a church organization. But the government or the Red Cross would be the most likely to give aid. Now having said that you know what happens to the best laid plans. Still I think we all need to have a plan.
The red Cross will be able to tell you about a special needs shelter in a planned evacuation. They may also have some advice about planning for an immediate evacuation scenario.
It wasn't that I felt the need to defend Tom's opinion. Although I am delighted that he is willing to share his perspective with us.You have every right to disagree and state your opinion it was the personal attacks on Tom I took umbrage to.