Given the proliferation of battery-backed solar power
schemes, islanding inverters that can function independent
of the grid look like the best remedy for power outage
worries. The price tag is comparable to a new luxury car,
but what I call a "luxury" car is becoming commonplace.
Most households have $50k worth of cars, many have much
more expensive conveyance. 

That's not to say backup generators will be irrelevent. Bad
weather kills solar panel output, no matter if it's rain 
clouds or smoke clouds (or dust, for that matter). The 
net result is that generators will remain useful, but
their use pattern will change. In general I think they'll
get smaller and be used less often, perhaps to the point
that folks with multi-day battery capacity will skip them.
Those who do want a fuel-driven generator will opt for
smaller units loaded to maximum efficiency for battery
charging. 
 

The point here is that the electric grid is in a state of
transition, constrained mostly by battery technology and
to a lesser extent solar panel performance. I'd avoid 
spending extra money on blackout preparations now because 
the choices seem likely to get much better and much cheaper
(in real, not dollar terms) in the next ten years.

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