Create an emergency preparedness plan.

How detailed do we need to get? What’s the emergency? Not all plans are going to cover the same things.

Emergency medical care? Sudden death in the family? Got laid off? Car breaks down?

You get the idea.

The biggest hurdle I often see or hear about with these circumstances is probably related to money. If you have enough to cover yourself, initially, no matter the emergency, you’re probably going to be okay.

But you need to have that money, and in today’s world that isn’t always the case. I’ve been there. Emergency medical care involving surgery? Huge bill, no insurance, and a low paying job with no savings. I got through that by reaching out to different people, asking questions, and finding the right resources to help mitigate the issue (no money).

Keeping that in mind, I think the best “emergency preparedness plan” needs to start with knowing who to contact when the shit hits the fan. That could be family, friends, coworkers, or some kind of official who is responsible for the area that owns whatever emergency it is.

So, who DO you contact? Not everyone has family or friends they can trust. Or coworkers, I guess.

My medical emergency started with asking my sister-in-law about how I could afford something serious, and her knowledge (at the time) helped me get to a hospital that would work with me on the financials without screwing me over.

Car emergency? I’ve called both friends and family before to get a ride or help contact people who could reach us.

Sudden death in the family? Well, this one is a little awkward to walk through. Am I going to be responsible for paperwork and following up with legal entities, or am I just attending a funeral and helping my family through the grieving process? The latter is easier, because in my case I just need to make sure my manager knows that I’m going to be unable to work for a short period (and thankfully she is wonderful and understanding) but the former is something I’ve not experienced personally. I suppose the funeral home might provide guidance on how to handle things (so if this is your situation, I’m sorry, but that’s the best I could brainstorm this morning.)

Job loss? Again, I’ve asked friends and family, and somehow I also ended up on the radar of a job placement agency, but ultimately I just looked for a new job (which, admittedly, is easier said than done and not everyone is going to be mentally equipped to handle the shock and uncertainty.)

In each case, though, money is still a big part. Medical bills need to be paid, cars need repairing or replacing, funerals cost money (and have you seen the prices on caskets/coffins?) and even without a job you still have bills to pay and you have to eat. Not sure I can give anything solid for a plan in this case except to say “fingers crossed it’s cheap/affordable and you have some kind of savings.”

Emergencies suck, and plans can fall apart no matter how detailed and potentially responsive they are. I’m not going to advocate for NOT having a plan, but I will advocate for going with the flow and rolling with the punches that life throws at you.