Hope is not a strategy. Things may all work out or they may not, its best to prepare prepare for both possibilities.
Modern society is full of upside in the form of technology, energy, material comfort, health, food availability, and general safety. However, there is a companion to all these wonders, the downside. This is what happens when things go wrong and the modern systems we rely on malfunction. Sometimes these downside events are minor inconveniences (i.e., brief power outages) whereas others has lasting and painful impacts (i.e., the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy). Since life is generally easy and safe for most people, we tend to ignore the downside. However, understanding the downside can better prepare ourselves for when things go wrong.
That doesn't mean one suddenly becomes glum and fearful, quite the contrary. As one writer posted a while back:
Downsiders are interested in being civil under all conditions, of keeping their heads when all about them are losing theirs. Downsiders have intellectual insurance. Downsiders are about figuring out how to live indifferent to fashion. Downsiders are about maintaining personal integrity tested in the worst of times. Downsiders are the enemy of panic.
Listen, bad things are going to happen from time to time just as they have throughout history. One of the most important activities you can do to safeguard yourself, your family, and your community is to be better prepared. Being ready will enable you to weather the storms that will invariably strike and have the confidence to be strong in the face of adversity.