Ready for a crisis?

How to prepare for your next emergency

When a power outage knocked out electricity to a multistate region in 2003, Gabriella Barthlow, a financial coach in the Detroit area, was prepared. She had enough money on hand to buy food for herself and her two young children, plus put gas in her car in case they needed to leave home.

Barthlow encourages her clients to be similarly ready for unexpected events. Power outages, weather interruptions and other disasters can inflict chaos and take a financial toll, often with little warning, but being prepared can help minimize the damage.

Here are steps you can take to make sure you’re ready for the next emergency.

1 Set aside physical cash

As Barthlow found, cash can be crucial when you’re facing an extended power outage since machines that accept debit and credit cards might not be running. Bernie Carr, author of “The Prepper’s Pocket Guide” and founder of apartmentprepper.com, says you want to keep enough cash on hand to cover gas and food for several days and carry at least some of it with you.

That money is in addition to an emergency savings fund, which is stored in a savings account to help you get through a period of unexpected hardship or income loss.

Financial experts often recommend you build up three to six months worth of expenses into that account, but even much smaller amounts will help stabilize your finances.

2 Build up supplies slowly Carr suggests purchasing supplies over time that could help you survive temporary disruptions to power, water and other utilities, as can happen during natural disasters.

“When you next go grocery shopping, set aside $10 and pick up bottled water or your favorite food can or instant oatmeal,” she suggests. On the next visit, put together a first aid kit with items like bandages and antibacterial wipes, or flashlights and extra batteries. Other types of equipment such as a water filter, camping stove and solar lights can also be helpful.

3 Begin the recovery process Once the emergency passes, it’s time to pick up the pieces: File any insurance claims, rebuild spent emergency savings and replace used up supplies. The website DisasterAssistance.gov provides information on local recovery efforts, and 211.org can connect you to community resources like food banks.

This article was provided to The Associated Press by the personal finance website NerdWallet. Want to suggest a personal finance topic that Quick Fix can address? Email apmoney@ap.org