Having just gone through a major hurricane Florida what would be a good cash reserve to have on hand. We are lucky and live on high ground and did not leave our home. We only lost power for 13 hours. We were very lucky.
A lot of people had to leave their homes to get out of areas that were going to be effected by the hurricane.
I heard several areas gas stations did not have the ability to take credit cards cash only.
This storm was BIG it not only covered the width of the state but move north through the state in some cases chasing people north out of the state.
If you had to evacuate and be gone for a week what do you think would be a good cash reserve.

we usually keep $500 in small bills in the safe for any kind of cash crunch emergency.

6 months living expenses worth in the bank.

HK Ag

I try to keep a minimum of $1000 on hand, preferably more.

I try to keep a minimum of $1000 cash at all times.

It serves as both emergency/natural disaster cash fund like you're describing, as well as acting as a supplemental savings fund for emergency expenses, like sudden house/car repairs, etc.

(I have a bank savings account for those kind of things too, but there have been a few times that I've used the cash on hand for an sudden repair - like to pay the repairman when my garage door spring broke on a Saturday - and then I can just withdraw cash from the bank the next week when I have time.)

I keep a [redacted] amount in a [redacted] location.

Small bills is important. Not everyone will have change for a crisp new $100 that you've kept in pristine condition for such a contingency.

That's something I'm very poor at, keeping a cash reserve on hand. I rarely pay in cash for anything. Debit and CC cards rule the day. I'll have to reconsider my thinking about this.

It seems to me that for a true emergency, 2-5 thousand on hand would make more sense for long term evacuation. I think I'll visit my bank today and address this.

Jim

I keep about $2500 available and buried in a secure location.

I keep cash on hand, but often dip into it to buy things like reloading supplies, or like when those S&W Shields were on sale. Then I have to take smaller amounts out of the checking account so my wife doesn't notice and replenish my stash.

The question depends on the size of your family (including pets) and you must consider:

1. emergency repairs (trees, roof, plumbing)
2. Car expenses
3. Food after storm

Consider at least 7 days of funds. After Wilma it cost me $500 cash to just get a tree off the front of my house. (too big for me to chainsaw) Cash talks after a storm.

If it is a really bad storm you could burn through a grand pretty quick.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:
Small bills is important. Not everyone will have change for a crisp new $100 that you've kept in pristine condition for such a contingency.

That is a very good point. I keep my stash in $20s.

5k at home cause you never know.

I keep $500 in twentys on hand.

For these purposes, I keep several hundred dollars,in ones. Specifically, coin dollars. Spread throughout family it does not add much weight and don't have to worry about water.

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:
I keep about $2500 available and buried in a secure location.

Where?

JP

quote:

Originally posted by jprebb:

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:
I keep about $2500 available and buried in a secure location.

Where?

JP

In a hermetically sealed old mayo jar, burried under a tree in a remote location guarded by my pet bear.

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:

quote:

Originally posted by jprebb:

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:
I keep about $2500 available and buried in a secure location.

Where?

JP

In a hermetically sealed old mayo jar, burried under a tree in a remote location guarded by my pet bear.

Ahhh, yes, Carnac the Magnificent!!

"A HERMETICALLY SEALED MAYONNAISE JAR KEPT ON FUNK & WAGNALLS' PORCH SINCE NOON TODAY!!!"

It really depends on your location's natural disaster risks:

my previous stint in Houston, I lived 30 miles closer to Galveston Seawall. To be fair, I was in a firearm acquisition mode and kept enough cash on hand for firearm purchases that natural disasters were adequately covered.

In Alaska, there were many natural disasters that don't have the prep time like a hurricane (blizzard, earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruption). I kept 4 weeks of food on hand (Houston was a week) and still had sizable firearm procurement cash on hand. Frankly, the Great Alaskan earthquake damaged ports and airports so badly it took 3 weeks for L48 relief to arrive and Anchorage stores do not keep that much on hand so money was likely worthless.

In Calgary, I was not in acquiring firearms and kept a few hundred Canadabucks on hand as well as USD. My risks were blizzards, flooding (away from home not at home), and Canadians.

My current stint in Houston, I'm 70 miles fromthe Galveston Seawall and my risks are hurricanes and flooding.keep $200 on hand. May

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

quote:

Originally posted by ChuckFinley:
Small bills is important. Not everyone will have change for a crisp new $100 that you've kept in pristine condition for such a contingency.

No.

But when you hand someone a $100 saying 'Keep the change' - you are damn likely to get what you want.

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$5000 in the safe