I'm not losing sleep about it, but am concerned that in a worst case
scenario the government would be incapable of dealing with the massive
problems that would occur. It would be nice to be prepared for this as
an individual, as many in Louisiana would attest. One of the differences
in this type of issue is that one would not want to be housed in a
stadium or other such arrangement with others who could be infected with
the flu. Also, it could involve the entire planet, so you couldn't count
on help from these next state over, like in a hurricane or tornado.
Hospitals will no doubt be overwhelmed. Read about 1918. Things are no
different today other than the problem would be likely to spread much
quicker.

This does not include digging a moat around my house and filling it with
alligators, but might involve having:

-a month's supply of food and water
-communication plans for everyone in the family
-cash, as ATMs could be empty or inoperative
-emergency meeting locations
-disinfectant, masks and gloves
-extra fuel, batteries, a battery powered radio
-a good first aid kit
-an alternative heat source, especially here in Minnesota
-extra blankets, warm clothing
-lanterns, camping gear for cooking
-essential medications

Most importantly, it would involve a plan, including things like filling
the tub with water, a criteria for who else you let in when you're the
only house in the neighborhood that has heat and how you will deal with
those who don't respect your criteria, etc. This has been an interesting
topic for discussion in our house.

We insure our cars and spend a lot of time researching vehicles we buy.
This fits right up there in the priority list, as the consequences of
ignoring this might be at best, very inconvenient and uncomfortable.

These are prudent thoughts for all kinds of emergencies like weather,
terrorist attacks, etc. and don't really involve great expense, except
feeding the alligators in the moat!

Capt. Jeff