The only way a free market can/will handle a $15 spike in gas prices without govt. intervention is thru threat of force. After the first station owner is murdered, the rest will get the message......Yea, that's a sound plan.
You're talking about natural market forces at work, what's happening there is not natural. It's an emergency life and death environment that was created by an act of nature. Without expected govt. intervention (yea, I'm a conservative who expects govt. intervention in this case) that area will quickly turn into a post apocalyptic battle ground...the very scenario "preppers" plan for.
No, have more faith in the market. If gas goes to $15 per gallon, people in other areas of the country will drive trucks of gas into those areas and come up with a market based solution to sell. High prices in a market affected by a natural disaster send signals out to the larger economy to divert resources into the places hit hard by disaster. When government steps in and stops that process, the result is shortages and chaos and people are worse off.