Everyone this week must put together your own bugout bag: a whitewater dry bag containing at least - (each item is sealed within two zip-locks bags) two LED headlamps such as Petzl Plus 4 bulb with flash mode, hightech filtration "straw" in a litre bottle{up to 200 gallons} with iodine tabs and orange Gator powder to cover the corpse taste, a 100 oz. Camelbak pack, a Scout bandana, with mouthwash on the bandana to help mask the corpse stench, a dozen+ nitril gloves in your size, leather work gloves, swim goggles, 12,000+ Kcal foods such as jerky, roll of Bounty paper towels for everything {;^), albacore tuna/boneless pink salmon, canned fruits, Swiss army knife, 5-7" combat blade, Gerber ax, Gerber saw(s), rope, several 550# para-cord packs, a means of digging poop catscratch holes, a real first-aid kit, a change of baggy white clothes in warm weather and quality broken-in footware per season, rain gear with 55 gal trash bags for poncho etc., a 3x5 American flag, an 8x10/10x12 stout tarp, AND what ever you think might need and be able to carry this 40#+ long distances such as veg. seed packets and a Good Book. The whitewater bag may well help float you too. This bugout gear includes a holstered handgun and ~100 rounds with rat-shot and hollowpoints and a 12 G. if possible. Rats, snakes, and pack dogs are to be common. I pack a few pounds of quality dog meal for use as bait; perhaps I can adopt a guard dog in the process. Peppermints work for people, kids or not.
A 9mm/.40 medium frame semi with 12+1 plus 4-8 12 round mags in carriers on the belt plus a S&W J-frame in .357 works.
Pre-prepare yourself to defend with Wyatt Earp deadly force and witness horrors of rape and murder in addition to the many unlucky dead. As the pirates in N.O. have demonstrated, they can be anywhere and will kill for your stuff.
Folks really should have some sort of preparedness kit, no matter where they live. It should include self defense.