The only predictable part of unexpected situations is that they will catch you off guard. For example, you might get a flat tire, or your car will break down on your way to work, you could get splashed by mud from a passing car as you walk down the street, you could fall in a hole on the sidewalk and break your leg, your child can get violently ill out of nowhere, or a giant hail storm might ruin your car, and on and on.

At first glance, it seems impossible to prepare for what you can’t predict. You’ve probably experienced a few unexpected situations, and if you think about it, none of those situations seemed likely to happen. How could you have possibly been prepared?

Since the unexpected clearly continues to occur in all of our lives, but we never know the specifics of what’s coming, it makes sense to have a plan for facing unexpected situations in general. The only question is what should you prepare for? You can’t plan for everything, but here’s why you should at least prepare for certain potentials.

A chaotic moment is not the time for rational thinking

Perhaps the best reason to prepare ahead of time for unexpected circumstances is that, in the moment, it won’t be easy to think rationally. If the situation is too emotionally-charged, you might not be able to calm down enough to make a rational decision. Chaos creates panic, which makes it hard to think.

One easy preparation you can make is writing down the name and number of a lawyer you can call if you end up getting arrested. Nobody ever thinks they’re going to get arrested, but it happens all the time, even to innocent parties. You don’t need to be a law-breaker to get arrested, and if you have kids, you’ll need help as fast as possible. It’s important to have an attorney’s name and number before you need it because you won’t get the opportunity to search for an attorney after being arrested.

With regard to the potential of being arrested, you should also have a plan for who you’ll call to take care of your kids. Will you call your child’s other parent? A family member? A friend? Know exactly who you’ll call in this situation ahead of time so you don’t have to panic in the moment.

Sometimes being prepared for one potential prepares you for many others

When it comes to preparedness, sometimes prepping for one specific scenario can actually get you prepared for a handful of potentials. For example, say you decide to stockpile two years’ worth of food, water, and supplies for yourself and your family because you don’t want to be stuck when the economy crashes and the dollar becomes worthless. Preparing for a depression in this way will ensure you and your family have food for at least two years, even if you don’t have a job, any money, or items to barter.

Now imagine being prepared like this for a depression while another pandemic hits and everyone is forced to stay in their homes. You’d be perfectly fine never leaving your house. You’d have food, toilet paper, medical supplies, and other necessities.

Additionally, if an earthquake hit that knocked out the power and water, you’d be set until it could be restored. You’d also be prepared if there was a war and food and supplies had to be rationed.

Out of all the ways you can be prepared, having a stash of food and supplies will carry you through many unexpected situations.

Some uncommon situations are actually fairly common

When you consider the rarity of things like tornadoes touching down in California, you might really believe there have only been a few in all of history. However, records show that between 1950 and 2023, there were 477 tornadoes in California, with most of them (45) being in Los Angeles. If you live in LA, you probably never considered the possibility of a tornado, but there were a few each year until the frequency slowed down in 2004.

Although considered rare, tornadoes can do serious damage, like the twister that hit Madera County in early 2024.

It doesn’t take much to be prepared

Preparing for unexpected situations isn’t as hard as it may seem. To prepare for physical and economic disasters, all you need is enough food, water, and supplies to carry you through. In other situations, you just need to know who to call, whether it’s a lawyer or a friend. 

When facing a stressful situation, a little bit of planning will keep you calm.