Jan 31 2009
Keep cash on hand
Due to the recent ice storms, there are plenty of areas around where I live (in southern Illinois) without power.
One unexpected side effect of the power outage is the inability to use debit cards. I’ve heard this from a few sources - including my own parents who have been unable to access correct information from their bank, or use their debit cards.
It seems as though the power outages south of us have wreaked havoc on some satellite system that many local banks use. Many banks have gone offline. Mom tried to use her debit card at WalMart yesterday but couldn’t.
My parents aren’t the only ones I’ve heard of having problems, so it’s apparently not isolated to just one bank.
So, it would be in everyone’s best interests to have a stockpile of some cash on hand - just in case of emergency.
