Do You Have a Preparedness Plan?

The past few weeks have been very anxious for all of us due to the influx and devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey, Irma, Jose, and Katia. Additionally, the earthquake that jolted Mexico has been equally devastating. Although the seasonal patterns have been known to residents who live in those locations, the level of impact caught many off guard. If you have been impacted by any of these catastrophic events, I am praying that God will restore to you everything you’ve lost, and that He will give you the grace to handle the consequences of these events. If you have not been impacted by any of these events, you should start developing a preparedness plan.

No matter where you live, your residence is vulnerable to unexpected catastrophic weather. Tropical storms, tornadoes, snow, and freezing temperatures may be considered the norm in your area, but drastic climate changes are prone to happen when you least expect.

Today, I want to discuss some options you may not have thought about even if you don’t want to think about having to suddenly uproot yourself and your family. Most of us think that our lives will remain the same particularly with the same routine, economic status, and health status. However, life tends to throw us a curve ball whether we like it or not.

Plan Now to Avoid Regret Later

Several years ago, after arriving home from work, I had an auto accident while running an errand. I’ve written about this in several posts and in two of my books, so I won’t go into lengthy details because I want to keep this post focused on the topic. You can read about it here and here. During my recovery process I was forced to settle down. However, while struggling to recover at home, I started hearing gunshots. These gunshots would sound off at odd times during the day and night. Early afternoon, six in the morning, and around 11 at night. When it got to the point when a drive-by happened, and we started sleeping on the floor, a decision had to be made.

I prayed earnestly that the thugs in the neighborhood would move because in my mind they weren’t homeowners. I’m not mentioning this to belittle renters because a lot of renters are equally concerned about property maintenance and safety as homeowners. However, I felt like these thugs did not have a right to disturb those who were working hard to invest in their home or maintain their rental house. They disturbed neighbors who were trying to sleep and live freely in the neighborhood.

To my surprise, my prayers didn’t work. It seemed like the more I prayed, the worse things got. Loud music vibrating from muscle cars caused me to become a nervous wreck. When a fire occurred down the street and two bodies were found, I knew it was time to move. I didn’t want to, but the safety of my son exceeded my reservation. I struggled between leaving my investment and trying to invest in another place of residence. I worried about how would I handle this situation?

I had a mortgage to contend with, but our lives were on the line. I was blessed to find another home in a nearby city. Although I still had to pay for the expenses from my former residence, the ability to sleep in peace was a blessing I did not want to give up. I could finally relax when I was able to let my son go outside and play without worrying about gang violence.

During my recovery time at my former residence, I realized that gang activity was going on for a while. I just hadn’t realized it until I had to sit still and was at home for a considerable amount of time. As long as I was working, coming, and going out of the neighborhood quickly, I didn’t notice some things. Although there had been some burglar incidents that me and my neighbors experienced, my seven-year occupancy was fairly tolerable.

I certainly was not financially prepared to manage the effects of an auto accident and a sudden residential transition because I was trying to manage the expenses of my former residence. When it comes to life or death, you have to choose to save your life. It may be hard to recover from a major financial setback, but at least you’ll have a sane mind to help you solve your dilemma.

The Importance of Emergency Funds

Although the auto accident caught me off guard, the compensation that was provided to cover my lost wages sustained me, the money came a few days before we moved, and the compensation covered the new residential housing expenses. This situation worked out for me even though I couldn’t figure out how I would be able to move. God worked it out unexpectedly.

Although my experience worked out miraculously, I want to encourage you to think proactively instead of reactively. You may be able to pay your bills on time right now, and you may have money saved for a rainy-day including retirement savings. However, some unexpected situations can require all of the funds from your next paycheck, severance pay, and savings.

It’s easy to become judgmental about someone else’ situation when you haven’t experienced what they’re going through. You may have all your “ducks” in a row today, but you may have to search for one duck tomorrow because of a sudden catastrophic event.

If you know someone who has experienced a series of unfortunate events, don’t assume you know everything that is going on in their life because he or she may not be disclosing all of the details. Lend a helping hand and consider it as a seed being sown into your future because you never know what you may encounter.

Set aside a “what if” emergency fund and don’t touch it until you absolutely have to relocate. You will need money for a moving truck, utilities, possible hotel stays, transportation, and food. You may think that the money you have in your wallet now may last, and your friends will be there to support your transition process. They may be, or they may not be there when you need them the most. Don’t rely on their words wholeheartedly because challenges happen in everyone’s life. You want to be able to support yourself regardless if they help or not.

If you’re not sure where to begin, research moving companies to obtain service costs. It’s a good idea to also conduct housing searches in other cities so that you’ll have an idea about what the price ranges are for a mortgage or monthly rent. If you know what type of house you prefer to live in, start looking now instead of being forced to accept something you may not be able to tolerate after you move in.

No one can control every circumstance in their life whether it’s pertaining to health, weather conditions, and other situations that can lead to long term financial interruptions. However, you can plan ahead for situations you think may never happen to you.

Right now, there are fires sweeping through California. Residents are being forced to evacuate, some people have lost their lives, and houses have been destroyed. Start working on a plan with your family and make it a priority. You may not have a lot to begin with but adding a few items to your preparation stockpile every week can help reduce the frustration you may feel when you don’t have anything. Here’s a few items you can start with:

• Emergency Food

• Travel Kits

• Maps

• Gift Cards (If you have a hard time saving money, purchase restaurant, hotel, gas, and Visa gift cards to set aside). This will also eliminate the need to go to the ATM especially if ATMs are not working).

It’s also a good idea to start sorting through documents, junk mail, and other unneccessary items in your home. This will reduce your packing time. If you don’t start now, you will be stuck with lugging bags or boxes of paper you don’t want to deal with. Do a little every day and try to keep your files organized so that you’ll be able to pull out important documents quickly when required.

If you’ve ever played hide and go seek when you were young, you should remember the words that were yelled out by the person who was assigned to be the finder; Ready or Not, Hear I Come! These words let you know that there was a possibility that you could be found within a short period of time. On the other hand, if you were good at finding obscure hiding places, then you were able to distract the finder for a longer period of time.

Take steps now to prevent being found unprepared by sudden job loss, a housing crisis, or a long-term illness.

Stay safe, plan ahead, and enjoy life!