The Trouble With Emergencies
“‘The trouble with emergencies is,’ she said, ‘that I always put on my finest underwear and then nothing happens.’”
Thursday night, as we were all tucking in for bed and the potential for some stormy weather from Hurricane Helene’s anticipated landfall, I rolled over with one final question to my husband, to put my mind at ease before I drifted off to sleep: “You think we need to secure the outdoor stuff? They said we could get wind gusts up to 40mph.”
“Nah, it’s prolly fine," he replied. "It's supposed to track over Atlanta."
For context, Atlanta is 150 miles east of us. And we’d had “hurricane warnings” before - nothing ever came of them, especially the ones that rolled up from the Gulf. There's just (usually) too much land for it to cover before it gets to us. While we are all too familiar with tornadoes, the weather channel had listed those as unlikely since, again, we were far east of the anticipated path.
So off to wonderland I went.
At a little before 4:30am, I was abruptly awoken by the sound of something SLAMMING into the house, against the outside wall of our bedroom. As I gathered my conscious thoughts, I reached for my phone and pulled up the weather app. Our area was covered in deep red on the radar, the last stop before purple—signaling severe weather like tornadoes or hail.
At the time I didn't think to zoom out and see the bigger picture - I just assumed we were getting some of the outer bands.
When images like this surfaced later in the day on Facebook, I was thankful that I hadn't. I was clueless that we were - at that moment - literally in the eyewall of the storm.
I scrambled out of bed and went to call our 16 year old down from her room, trying to keep my composure while she groggily argued with me about why she needed to come downstairs.
“Remember me saying last night that I might have to wake you up? Please come on down. You can go back to sleep on the couch for now.”
I heard her stirring, so I went to investigate the noise that had woken us up. As I opened the back door and flipped on the lights, the wind was heavy and HOT. “Uh oh,” I thought to myself.
Then suddenly the lights went out as a powerful burst of wind slammed the door wide open behind me.
Our neighborhood’s power lines are buried, which meant something much bigger than our street was impacted. I managed to get the door closed and went back to check my phone, only to find out that I no longer had cell service - something that had NEVER happened before in our area.
The wind and rain continued to wreak havoc outside our home for the next two and a half hours. I went from laying on the bed, to laying on the couch with my family (at one point genuinely wondering if this was the last time we’d be together), to laying on the ground, then back to the bed in a half-dazed surrender to whatever Mother Nature had in store for us.
As bad as it sounded outside (like a two-hour-long train), I could’ve never dreamed what we’d all be walking out to a couple hours later, after the storm had moved Northwest (to continue its destruction on into South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee) and daylight arrived.
The reason we didn't have power - if you zoom in, you'll see that there are SEVERAL sections downed by trees.
Neighbor's house I pass every day while walking the dogs - they had more trees than us, something I've always been jealous of 😭
It was - and hopefully will forever be - the most unbelievably catastrophic natural disaster I’ve ever witnessed.
The Power of the Unexpected
Life is full of uncertainties - we know this. Yet, we still consciously - or at least subconsciously - rely on probabilities. Case in point: the outdoor stuff. Probabilistically, we had nothing to worry about; the hurricane wasn’t coming our way and we’ve never needed to secure it in any prior storms.
Ironically, it was our patio table slamming against the wall that woke us up and gave us the warning we needed to get everyone to a safe spot in the house. With no power and no cell service, we could only rely on the sounds outside for clues.
Hurricane Helene struck with little warning across the most impacted areas of the Southeast, leaving many people unprepared. And in the aftermath, two crucial financial resources have been helping us through this disaster: insurance and our emergency fund. Today, I’ll focus on the latter.
4 Lessons from Hurricane Helene
An emergency fund acts as a financial buffer during unexpected events like Hurricane Helene. It allows you to cover immediate expenses like temporary housing, medical bills, home repairs, and lost income. Without this cushion, the financial stress can make an already difficult situation much worse.
Here are four reasons to build an emergency fund, along with how much to consider saving:
1. Job Loss and Income Interruption Hurricane Helene caused many businesses to shut down temporarily. Friends are dealing with reduced hours, totaled vehicles, and blocked driveways. Even remote workers have been impacted by power and internet outages. Some people are using up their PTO, while others face layoffs or permanent closures.
Amount to Add: 3-6 months of fixed expenses.
A three-to-six-month emergency fund provides breathing room for essentials like rent, groceries, and utilities until your income is restored.
2. Unexpected Costs Beyond Your Control Many assume insurance will cover disaster-related damages, but policies often have exclusions. For example, flooding is usually not covered by standard homeowners’ insurance. Some people are now discovering their policies have a separate “hurricane” deductible, which can be as high as $10,000 on a $400K home.
Amount to Add: Enough to cover your largest deductible.
Having cash on hand helps cover gaps in insurance coverage. We’ll explore ways to reduce your deductible next week.
3. Health Emergencies Disasters don’t just affect property—they can impact your health, your family’s, or even your pets. I know a couple who traveled 100 miles to deliver their baby last weekend, trading the uncertainty of the local hospital’s conditions for the uncertainty of out-of-network medical costs.
Amount to Add: $1,000 per pet + $500 per person for non-emergent treatment + one month’s out-of-pocket cost for prescriptions.
An emergency fund ensures you can pay for immediate medical attention without delaying treatment.
4. Relocation and Temporary Living Costs When Hurricane Helene hit, many were forced to relocate. While we were displaced for five days due to a power outage, others, like my daughter’s former teacher, had it worse. A tree fell on her house, and another destroyed their car. They managed to find a rental nearby, but it's costing them three to four times their regular mortgage payment to stay there.
Amount to Add: $5,000-$10,000 minimum, depending on your family size, insurance, and ability to lean on family.
While insurance may eventually reimburse these costs, an emergency fund allows you to cover them without resorting to high-interest credit cards.
Cash vs. Bank
In the aftermath of the storm, cash became essential for groceries and gas since businesses couldn’t process card payments due to power, internet and cell service outages. Once these utilities were restored, most places resumed card transactions.
While the amount of cash you keep is a personal decision, having enough for a week’s immediate needs isn’t a bad idea. It’s also wise to have funds in a bank with a national presence in case your local credit union is affected.
Start Small, Stay Consistent
While a fully funded emergency account might seem daunting, it's important to remember that every little bit helps. Start with small, consistent contributions:
Set a realistic goal: Start with $500 or $1,000 as an initial target. Even a small amount can cover minor emergencies or provide a stopgap in the early days of a crisis.
Automate savings: Set up automatic transfers into your emergency fund from each paycheck. This "set it and forget it" approach builds your fund without you having to think about it constantly. Don’t worry about it getting “too big” - you can always set up a transfer to an investment account later, if needed.
Prioritize liquidity: Keep the non-cold-cash portion of your emergency fund in a high-interest savings account or money market account, where it can earn interest while remaining easily accessible.
Planning for the Inevitable
Disasters, whether hurricanes or other emergencies, can strike anyone at any time. An emergency fund isn’t just about finances—it’s about peace of mind. Hurricane Helene reminded us that when the unexpected happens, those who are financially prepared are better positioned to weather the storm - both physically and emotionally.
Take action today: start building your emergency fund now, so you’re ready for whatever life throws at you. Believe me when I say you’ll thank yourself later for the security and stability it brings.
~Jess
P.S. Have an "emergency fund" story? I'd love to hear it! Reach out and let's talk. 🙏
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