*Money And Quarantines*
I posted this on the main message board, but I think it can answer a lot of questions for a lot of Rubies as a "Stand Alone" article on "Money Worries" during a Pandemic Quarantine, so here goes...
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...I have researched (and CONTINUE to research) this topic along with MANY other Rubies... literally every scrap of info we can find on past and current epidemics, pandemics, quarantines and Federal and State Emergencies... In fact I've researched back personally as far as 1770 and as lately as the Hurricanes in Fla last year.
From what we are finding out, in almost every case where a Quarantine is put into place, the Government makes some provisions for monetary circumstances.. some defer bills, some use "Disaster aide money", etc... but in no case I have found has a Government agency allowed basic utilities to be turned off, or people evicted from homes or dwellings, once a quarantine order or state of emergency has been declared.
I'm starting to think of the money angle as a "Non-issue" since FEMA and such have the money to distribute, and the power to enforce emergency laws... this could be one time where FEMA is actually a good thing (and yes, We have Rubies that are FEMA employees that keep me informed AS THE LAWS ARE BEING PREPARED AND WRITTEN).
There are a LOT of problems still to be worked out before a pandemic hits, and there's a LOT of good minds (Some Rubies are even involved in these at the "grass roots, writing the laws level") being thrown at the problem (or the "Coming problem"), and they are trying to write (and enact) Laws ahead of this thing.
The problems are mostly at "State levels" right now, the Feds are scurrying around but they ARE moving forward.
I think the majority of us should have money stored for buying FOOD and necessary items should they be needed (and found to be available)... at least I would ear-mark the money for those items as a priority over something as mundane as "The electric bill".
Look folks, there will be a LOT of "Clean up" and catching up after a Pandemic burns itself out.. but that means "Work" and Work means "Money".... From what we are learning in our research of actual cases, things get back to normal pretty fast, and in MANY cases things end up being even better...
Sadly, some of that is because a lot of people may die.. but assets are distributed, and job positions come open, etc....
I would devote more of my time to "Family Wills" (God forbid) and stocking basic survival items than I would in worrying about paying the mortgage during a crises (UNLESS your Mortgage has a specific clause written in discluding "Acts of God", but even then, the banks will NOT want to throw people out of their homes when they are holding MANY mortgages that may not be paid, and not much prospect of reselling [Due to decreased population after a disaster] the homes they repossess.. they are much more likely to hope they can get payment from the homeowner later when the disaster is over). Again, I have found NO CASES where anyone under emergency or Quarantine status in ANY country (USA included) has been evicted or had basic services turned off as long as there was ANY way to supply those services (Services DO go off due to normal power disruptions like tree limbs where workers can't (or won't) go fix them) but the utility company WILL NOT send someone out to cut off your power or water for non-pay during an emergency.
As of this writing, Many Floridians are still working under these emergency laws from last year's God awful Hurricanes... I believe That SolarTea can fill you in on what's being Done in Florida still, She's involved in it and she's a Sharp Lawyer.
I think we'll find that the Lawyers will be our best friends after a Pandemic, because when a LOT of people die, a LOT of money and land disputes pop up.
Warlord
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