Is a 72-hr kit sufficient?

"I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving." –Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005, after Hurricane Katrina

Survivalblog.com has published an interesting article entitled, Transitioning to Seven Day Bug-Out Bags, by Firefighter Charles. Since Hurricane Katrina the American Red Cross and FEMA have urged families to extend their "72-hr" kit from 3 days to 5 days or even 7 days. Because of this the name "72-hr" kit is now a misnomer and "Go" kit is used instead.

With the success of the 9-1-1 emergency phone system, people have come to expect a quick response to any emergency. But during a disaster, there may be tens of thousands of people trying to reach a very small police/fire department. Of course the local police/fire may itself be destroyed by the disaster (or as in New Orleans, local emergency services fled the town to safety along with the residents.)
with local resources overwhelmed you'll have to wait for outside resources to come to the rescue. Firefighter Charles accurately describes what happen and how long it takes...

Now FEMA’s response times as we all know is pitiful. FEMA’s response time also varies from situation to situation. But for our purposes, let's give FEMA the benefit of doubt. [Imagine] an unlikely yet devastating 7.5 earthquake in New York City (Manhattan). I’ll play with the numbers in their favor. It might take them 8 to 12 hours to figure out logistics and if the area is safe. It may take them another 10 to 12 hours to mobilize and get to the disaster area. Then once there, they set up outside of the disaster area, which might take another 8 to 12 hours. Also having engineers come in to analyze the tunnels and bridges, will further delay the rescue. Depending on the bridge or tunnel they decide analyze, that only can take up to another 12 hours. That would be an estimated FEMA’s response time. You've now exhausted your 72-hour bag. ... The total estimated time would be 62 to 84 hours. ...

Now once FEMA has established itself in, near, and or around the disaster area. It could take another 12-24 hours to receive one-on-one assistance. Considering that thousands to hundreds of thousands will also be on line waiting for “help”. Now, picture yourself being on line for your favorite band and waiting 10-24 hours to get their tickets. Now translate that to a disaster relief line. You exhausted your 72-hour bag and now have to wait in a line for hours maybe even days to be sheltered and fed. You will be beyond hungry, thirsty and tired. Knowing that you are so close yet have to wait for hours more, will really agitate you. Note: That waiting for FEMA support on a line of hundreds of thousands will bring out the good, the bad, and the worst.

Bottom Line

Everything moves slowly after a large-scale emergency. You're mostly on your own and need to be part of the solution and not part of the problem with proper training and food/water storage.