I got laid off just once due to a company restructuring/physical move and it was with only 2 weeks notice with a pitiful severance.  I got really lucky (or maybe it's because I made finding a good job my full time job) and found a good job in a little over a month.  It was a good thing because I had no liquid savings that I could get to, the non-liquid stuff was really small, and I was sure that I'd lose my house because the job forecast (at the time) said 12-14 months was the average time to find a job.  I vowed to never go through that again.

Kneepads aren't becoming attire for anyone.  The only way you can deal from a position of strength in a job search is to not actually need a job to survive for a year.  Make it a priority to save enough liquid money to be able to live (not extravagantly but comfortably) for a year.  The amount you have to save for survival is a whole lot smaller than you might think.  Science out what you need, make a plan for saving, and don't quit until you have it saved... especially if you have a wife and/or kids or other people that won't make it without your help.  Once you have that warchest stashed safely away, do it one more time so that you have 2 years of survival month stashed away.  Make sure you don't "borrow" from it because you'll never pay yourself back.

If you do get laid off... don't forget to study like a monster.  You can do an awful lot of studying when you suddenly have 40+ extra hours and no commute.  Whatever time out of at least 8 hours a day you're not spending on finding and landing a job, you should be studying as if it were your job to do so.

Sorry... that sounded like a rant.  Hope no one takes it that way.  It's how I overcame being laid off and, if it ever happens again, I'm ready for it.  You can be too.