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I imposed a limit of one large ice and two gallons of water per family. It seemed fair to me to spread the resources to as many families as possible and not to the one rich guy who could afford it all.

And don't anyone start on me with any "communism" BS.

You have to live through one of these disasters to fully appreciate and understand it.

CTOCS wrote:

I imposed a limit of one large ice and two gallons of water per family. It seemed fair to me to spread the resources to as many families as possible and not to the one rich guy who could afford it all.

And don't anyone start on me with any "communism" BS.

You have to live through one of these disasters to fully appreciate and understand it.

Sounds like you handled it very well.

If the community goes down, you can, too.

And since you are living there long-term, you need to take into account the future, and how the people will interact with your family if you gouge....

Sure, you pay more now, but what do you get LATER by way of good will and help YOU might need?

Makes a difference.

I imposed a limit of one large ice and two gallons of water per family. It seemed fair to me to spread the resources to as many families as possible and not to the one rich guy who could afford it all.
And don't anyone start on me with any "communism" BS.

You have to live through one of these disasters to fully appreciate and understand it.

The sad fact that you conveniently overlook is that people who have "lived through one of these disasters" are the least likely to need those goods in short supply.

Everybody in Florida is bombarded by all media sources at the beginning of the hurricane season about PREPARATION. Those that heed the advice and understand the risk, make the necessary preparations and have no reason to risk price "gouging" for essential emergency supplies.

Those that don't heed the advice, dismiss the risk, or are just plain too dumb to function in the real world, will have to seek out some kind soul like yourself to assist them. The unintended consequence is that those who are unprepared, but suffer limited or no pain, have learned nothing. I'd be willing to bet they are the same ones that will be back after the next hurricane.

See -- that's exactly the point. You did that on your own because: 1) it made good business sense in the long run, and 2) it was the right thing to do.

The author makes a very good point, though, about how scarcity brought about by emergency conditions coupled with price controls imposed by law are a recipe for disaster in one key respect: they inevitably lead to the over-consumption of resources that would otherwise be used wisely if their prices rose dramatically.

He basically laid out California's energy woes a couple of years ago in a nutshell, but in the context of a natural disaster.

And don't anyone start on me with any "communism" BS.

As long as it was YOUR choice to sell your property at that rate, how could anyone rationaly impute "communism" into the equation?

On the other hand, if the government steps in, and dictates "thou shalt sell...", well, then that's a different kettle of fish.