[Shatnerz]

A meteorite strikes your house and puts a hole in your roof in the middle of rainy season. You will likely need cash quickly. You may be able to get an invoice or payment plan, but a lot of workers who will patch your roof get ripped off and demand cash up front as a result.

Other examples:

- car transmission fails at a crucial time such as during travel (now you may need accommodation)

- boiler breaks

- AC failures during summer

Really any major house related or car related issue. You could argue that these are maintenance costs and not emergencies and I would agree, but not everyone approaches these the same. It is also entirely possible for several affordable and expected events to unexpectedly happen at the same time.