I live in a hurricane zone. Of course, there hasn't been a hurricane here in more than 50 years, but we still get the warnings, and we still need to get in emergency supplies.

As well as candles and matches, I have a torch that is powered by shaking (I think it's called kinetic energy), a good supply of batteries for my daughter's duck radio and plenty of bottles for stocking up on fresh water. Have you had to deal with an emergency? What kind of supplies do you consider essential?