I'm having a hard time seeing a fed.gov shutdown as a disaster.
The last time it happened - when Clinton shut things down over a budget impasse with the GOP - the military stayed on active duty, the FBI kept chasing the most wanted, veterans hospitals kept treating veterans, Social Security checks kept going out . . . the only actual problems I recall hearing about were some people whose vacations were messed up when they showed up at places like the Smithsonian or Yellowstone and found the doors/gates closed.
Think about it - last time it happened, would YOU have even known about it, without seeing it on TV or reading it in the paper?
This is sort of like what happened in Minnesota when MN.gov union employees went on strike. For the most part, nobody noticed since police, fire, EMS, electric power, water, sewer, roads, etc., all stayed in service.