In light of recent natural disasters around the globe-earthquakes, floods, fires-it seems only to right to recommend having an Act of God Plan, especially if you live in a disaster prone area. Ensuring you have a safety net set up should you get into strife through no fault of your own is paramount to survival, and easy to arrange.
1. Have a Cash Stash
Always have a little amount of cash hidden in your house should you find yourself in a situation where you have no access to money. Flooding will easily cause shortages to cash machine dispensers, and often in a crisis situation many staff will not be working as they’ll be sorting out their own affairs. The only problem with having a wad of cash in the house is the associated temptation. To avoid dipping into the stash when you’re a bit short of money, keep it in a locked up section of your emergency grab bag, and if you’ve already been involved in a natural disaster you won’t need reminding of why it’s important to keep your mitts off.
2. Carry a Credit Card
Even if you don’t normally carry a credit card, it’s a good idea to have one should you find yourself in a sticky situation. Whether you’ve lost your wallet or need to pay for accommodation, clothes or food, having a credit card can make things a little easier in dreadful circumstances. One advantage of having a credit card is their emergency assistance feature-emergency funds can be wired to wherever you are, should you have that function set up on your card.
3. Invest in Insurance
While most of us hate giving money to the insurance companies, it is worth it when you run into problems, be it travel, home or content insurance. The golden key is to read and double read the terms and conditions. Yes, they’re ludicrously boring and often hard to understand, but it will make all the difference when you come to making a claim. Also, talk to someone to clarify their terms if you need to. However, sometimes things happen that you’re just not prepared for so wouldn’t know to ask about, or check. In the Brisbane floods, in early 2011, a number of people who took out flood insurance in good faith were told that their claims would not be awarded because their houses were insured against flooding, not inundation from the river!
4. Emergency Contact Numbers
Pretty much everyone owns a mobile phone these days, and rarely lets it out of their sight. However, when you’re caught in a freak flood and all you think about is hanging on to your nearest and dearest, your phone no longer seems so important. Having a few numbers memorized is a good idea. And while it seems obvious, because most phones are set up to show names not numbers there is little opportunity, or need, to remember other people’s numbers. Just one or two contacts are all you need to let people know you’re safe. They can then contact others on your behalf.
5. Safe Place to Stay
If you’re unfortunate to be caught in a natural disaster, but lucky to be near your family, go stay with them until things start to return to normal. If you live in an area prone to bush fires it’s important to have a substitute home organised prior to fires breaking out, that way you know exactly where to head without having to think about it in an adrenaline fuelled situation. Sometimes things happen that you just can’t plan for, so if you’re travelling in an unfamiliar city and don’t know anyone in the immediate vicinity, head over to any of the disaster relief centres where you’ll be offered a place to stay and support during what could potentially be a terrifying and lonely time.
This article was written by William from Life Insurance Finder. Visit Life Insurance Finder to compare Income Protection Insurance