Help or be Helped?

I'm in the middle of watching season 1 of Jericho. In short, its about a small town trying to survive after a nuclear attack on the US. They have no outside resources or help.So far, I see four or five heroes in this show that are called upon to deal with everything that happens to this town with a population of 5000.

I imagine(and hope) in real life, the ratio of helpers to those needing help would be much better.

In an event as extreme as this or a natural disaster, would you be helping or being helped?