That is precisely why our gas stations are a mob scene and there are no groceries in the store. I've been complaining about this all week while I had plenty of time while our power was out to sit back and think about WHY these things happen and WHAT can be done to mitigate this in the future. I know most people here in NJ did not take this storm seriously. (I am not part of this ignorance) After the last 2 years of storms, alotta people weren't affected and took on a boy-who-cried-wolf outlook this time when the governor was trying to prep people for the storm. "Eh, we didn't get hit the last 2 times. They're just blowing it out of proportion, like usual." I had heard that SO MANY times during the weekend before the storm.......trying to tell people this isn't a joke. It didn't work. That's why I had to support the entire neighborhood all week long.
Another failure of preparation........America's populace today is so far removed from self-preservation, that when a disaster like this happens, everyone is screwed. What do I mean by that? No one has the skill set any more for self-sustainment. Myself and one other neighbor are the only guys in the neighborhood that are 'tradesmen' and could sustain ourselves without a problem while 'the man' repairs utilities. And we were over-run by neighbors asking us to run wiring for their generators, or sweat pipes onto their new water heater after the other one exploded, or supply firewood to keep other people's children warm, or supply them fuel from my stock pile that I drove 40 minutes west to buy......since no one else has the brain or dedication to get out of the 3-hour line at the pumps and do something smart and proactive.
As you can tell, I'm very perturbed by the FK show that happened here. And as much as I improve MY family's preparations in the future, I'll still be a target for the people in the rest of the neighborhood that are completely useless and rely on SOMEONE else to do things FOR them.
Sorry for the soapbox.:angrysoapbox: