You are smart not to keep a lot of money in banks. Cash will be in very high demand and very short supply. Have a bunch away from the banks in an accessible, safe place. Some precious metals is never a bad idea. Figure that people will panic and the government will do the stupidest things possible. The FDIC and all the other financial "guarantee" funds are severely underfunded if everyone wants their money out at once, which is the definition of a run. The government will limit withdrawals from the remaining solvent financial institutions, and probably impose some sort of "tax" on balances (this is what recently happened in Cyprus). There will probably be disorder, and perhaps rioting and looting of banks and other businesses. The economy will be disrupted and retail establishments may not be open or may be poorly stocked. Have enough food, water, and essentials (people tend to forget about things like soap, toothpaste, and toilet paper) on hand for at least a few weeks (there are all sorts of outfits on the internet selling emergency provisions). The current global debt binge is unsustainable. Preparation before this house of cards collapses is simply foresight.

The FDIC coverage used to be $100 K per bank. I think it is now $250 K, but I could be wrong.

$9999 is easily doable. $10 K is a cutoff for my bank and my brokerage firm before the paperwork gets kind of messy.