On the generator thing---if you've got a house and any significant amount of perishables (e.g., a chest freezer with a lot of goodies in it), a generator makes a ton of sense. Do learn how to hook it up properly before you try to use it though, it's apparently also very easy to fry a poor unsuspecting lineman who is trying to restore your neighborhood's power if you don't

I'm told also that a Toyota Prius makes an exceptionally good field expedient generator if you connect an inverter to it---it's quite efficient in transforming gasoline into electricity, very quiet by generator standards, and has way better emissions control than most generators also.