Our contingency cash-on-hand is designed to cover three possibilities: a temporary interruption in our ability to access bank accounts/credit cards, a local disaster/emergency during which we would remain in our home, and a local disaster/emergency requiring temporary relocation away from our home.

Don't keep a huge amount on hand: $250 cash in twenties, tens and ones, and another $250 in smaller denomination traveler's checks.

During a stay-at-home situation, the most significant expense would likely be gasoline, which our cash stash covers if banks aren't immediately accessible. We maintain sufficient supplies to sustain our other day-to-day needs for a month or longer: non-perishable food, water, batteries, propane to cook and power lanterns, and other necessities.

The $500 cash-on-hand is also designed to fund 2-3 days travel in the event of a temporary relocation away from our home to one of a half-dozen out-of-area destinations (relatives and friends). Once that's exhausted, we'd rely on the ability to electronically access funds in one or all of three bank accounts, each with geographically diverse institutions having multiple branches. And then there's credit cards.

I figure that if an "event" overshadows these resources, then we've got much bigger problems to contend with.