Cash and cards

The Be Ready checklist asks for cash, a mix of coins and notes, and cards. The reason given is that electronic payments or cash machines may be disrupted.

Why cash

Be Ready's power cuts page asks you to keep a small amount of cash for essential purchases in case electronic payments or ATMs are disrupted. Its phone and broadband page gives the same advice for when mobile payment apps are down. The British Red Cross makes the same point: losing electricity for a period can affect card payments along with lighting, phone charging and internet access.

How much

Be Ready does not name a sum. The checklist says the amount of cash to keep depends on your family's specific needs for essentials. The checklist asks for cards as well as cash.

Insurance

Be Ready asks you to check the right insurance is in place for your home or business, giving flood insurance as the example, and to keep printed copies of insurance policy details with your other documents. Its household plan advice adds insurance details to the written list of emergency numbers. The flooding page has the detail for a claim after a flood:

• Check the policy. Insurers may pay for temporary accommodation and clean-up.
• Take photographs or video of all damage, and mark the water level on the wall before it recedes.
• Get the insurer's approval before any repair work.
• Do not dispose of anything until you are told to.

Households without insurance can ask the local council about hardship grants and charities. Flood Re at https://www.floodre.co.uk/ helps people who have been flooded find more affordable cover, and the Environment Agency's guidance on getting insurance is at https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding/get-insurance.

Scams

Two of the official services say the same thing about scams. The Emergency Alerts service will never send you an email or ask for personal details; any email claiming to be from it could be phishing, and GOV.UK asks you to report anything suspicious at https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing. The Priority Services Register says participating utilities keep your information only for priority support and never for marketing, and offers password schemes and identity checks to protect against bogus callers. See the Priority Services Register.

Help with costs

Be Ready's cold weather page points to government help with the cost of living at https://www.gov.uk/cost-of-living, support for people on low incomes at https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/low-income, and Ofgem's information for people who cannot afford their energy bills. The Priority Services Register can also refer customers to partners for free advice on energy efficiency and financial assistance.

Where to keep it

Be Ready suggests keeping the household emergency plan with passports, birth certificates and insurance policies so they can be gathered quickly. Cash and copies of documents belong in the same place. The documents and contacts page covers what to copy and how to protect paper from water.