My priority is money. Yeah, I know I’m supposed to say “food” or “water.”
The most common emergencies are a car breakdown, bad health, job loss, or divorce. Another emergency is becoming a crime victim. A 4-alarm financial emergency is being sued. Having the equity in your home evaporate. The total loss of one’s home, or the need to abandon one’s home.
Also: bad weather, public utilities breakdown, leftists rioting (excuse me, “peacefully protesting”).
Catastrophic would be another 9/11. Or another significant act of terrorism that would disrupt daily life. A pandemic would be catastrophic. An economic catastrophe similar to what happened in Greece and Argentina and what’s happening in Venezuela.