In today’s modern, technologically-advanced society, it can be easier than ever to fall through the cracks and find yourself in a disastrous situation. You don’t need currency collapse or earthquakes and hurricanes to slip through the social safety net – it can be as easy as having your wallet or purse stolen.
In addition to having your bug-out bag ready, you also need to make sure you’ve got your communication and financial needs secure. With today’s reliance on internet access, PIN numbers, passwords, cell phone connectivity and virtual bank accounts – you could be wealthy and still effectively poor if you lose any or all of your access to money or information systems we’ve come to rely on.
These are what I’d call our two main survival LIFELINES – (1) cash and (2) communication. Both depend heavily upon CONNECTIVITY.
If you can’t connect, you can’t get your cash and you might not have info access.
So here are my recommendations for protecting your two LIFELINES.
Having Money’s One Thing, Having ACCESS To Your Money Is Another
Financial analysts and investing gurus make fun of the idea of keeping some cash under your mattress, but while it won’t earn you any interest, it WILL earn you a way out or a leg up when all other systems collapse.
Case in point: your wallet is stolen. You’re left in the middle of a big urban city with nothing left – but you DO have some cash back at home or in your hotel room. As long as you can mooch a ride off someone, you’ll still be OK for getting some food and making some calls later on. Your bank and credit cards are gone, but you can still get around with cash.
Case in point: you call to block or cancel your ATM/debit card, and your bank also temporarily disables your online banking access as a precautionary measure until your new card arrives. Bingo! Now you can’t transfer funds or pay bills in the meantime.
SOLUTIONS: Keep an envelope or tin stash of money at home or in your hotel room (the amount varies depending on which). You’ll want enough for a week of groceries (that’s about the time it might take to receive your new banking/credit cards in the mail) and money for transportation and communication needs (eg., internet cafes, cell phone top-ups).
Also, it’s a good idea to keep a semi-active checking account with another banking institution so that you can leave that card at home and you’ll have access to another banking system while you’re waiting for your primary one to get activated and become available again.
Know and Protect Your Information Portals
Do you know where your nearest local internet cafe is? How about your public library and its hours of operation? Do you regularly top up and keep your cell phone fully charged?
These are your information portals. If your online banking is disabled and/or you can’t pay your bills or for some other reason your home internet and phone access gets blocked or cut off, you’ll need access to information somewhere else. If you’re living somewhere that you don’t have close friends or some other associate with whom you could stay and use their access, you need to know where you can go on your own.
It’s good practice to make a note of your local libraries, because they can be a really important source of many basics. Take a trip into one or two before you actually need them and make note of what they can offer you: washrooms, phone services, printing, internet and fax services, mailboxes, and more (like friendly people who can also be of great consolation in a tough time for you).
It’s obvious that you need to protect your cell phone operations, but it’s easy to forget this, too. But if you’re mugged or otherwise victimized, a cell phone can help you call the police right away and/or call to cancel your credit and debit cards (and order new ones). A cell phone can call you an emergency taxi as well as an ambulance. With payphones disappearing left and right, and increasingly hostile mercantile environments, it’s unfortunate, but everyone now needs their own cell phone. Don’t leave this one to the younger generations.
For How Long Would You Be Able To Live on Your Own?
Prepare Your Emergency Plans Now
Don’t wait until an emergency happens to find out what you need. Take the advice of others it has happened to, and at least prepare the basics. Even if you only come up with 50% of what you need, it will be a lifesaver. Consider at least buying the mandatory 3-day emergency survival backpack to start. You might also want to keep a small survival kit in your purse or backpack for starters, too.
Do you have other suggestions as to what should be added to home emergency preparations for the specific problem of having your wallet or purse stolen? How else do you protect against identity theft?
