I live in a townhome complex, and last week there was a massive lightning storm around midnight. The lightning struck a big tree that was in front of the building next to our building. Part of the tree fell on the power line going from the pole to the townhome unit. There was electrical arcing going on, the tree started on fire a bit (it didn't start burning full-on though) and the fire department told the family that was outside that they should not go back in their house at all, not even to grab some things.
This happened in the middle of the night, and the family told me that they drove with their kids around town for a couple hours looking for a motel that was vacant (there was a convention in town). Maybe they ran in to get their car keys (I didn't think to ask), but they didn't go in and get clothes. So they had no clothes for their kids, no clothes for themselves, no flashlight, etc, etc. Had this been in the winter they probably would have needed coats as well.
I mentioned to them that my wife and I keep a 72-hour kit in our trunks just in case things like that happen. This was a relatively benign emergency situation, but having a change of clothes, some cash, and a few other supplies that people typically keep in a BOB would have helped them out.