New Yorkers still without power after 12 days

[Scythe13]

This is one we'll not know until it happens. Having said that, I do have some 'opinions' on the situation.

I think we all know the first thing to be looted will be Apple, PC World, and the alike. That's a patten we all recognise. History has proven such.

After that, it seems people realise they need food more than Eastenders. That is when people will start looting the food shops, which will likely be mostly empty if there is prior warning (check the pictures from the shops pre Sandy. Mostly empty.

From experience, most people out looting, are just out for the fun of it, and after things they want, like the stereo/ipods/tv's and the alike. However, it will be when they go home and realise that they have no food at home, that they'll start looting normal food shops. That will likely be later the same day or, more than likely, the second day into the event/disaster. By then, who knows what the situation will be?!?!?

The biggest issue, will be lack of knowing.

With NY, people knew the outside world would help them....albeit very slowly. However, imagine the same situation in NY, but they didn't know there was help coming. There was no evidence for the outside world being unaffected by the storm. I think that the lack of hope of salvation, from the outside world, would cause huge problems in both social contract, and with the behaviour of looters.

In America, during the Rodney King riots, the black community (not being racist, just stating facts) was rioting and looting, dragging white people from their cars and killing them. Oddly, a bunch of Korean store owners got together outside their stores, pitched up their guns, and promised to shoot at anyone that came towards their shops. As if shotguns had magical powers, there were no issues those shop owners had to deal with. They were left alone. Which gives hope to the thought of community based social groups holding to their locations if they stand together.

This gives hope, again. But it also shows that looters, initially, are not willing to face death to get food. They'll go for easier targets.

All in all, I think food looting won't happen until about 12 hours after an 'event' occurs. This seems to be a reasonable assumption, based on past events.

Within 12 days, yeah, I think there will be food riots.


In the first few days, there will be riots, but the general population that wouldn't riot for fun, would be calm.
Up to the first week, most people will still be expecting help, rioter numbers would swell a bit, but not massively.
The start of the second week, people will be anxious and huge issues would become unavoidable. People will be stealing to eat.
After the second week, people won't be rioting, because most places will have already been screwed over.
Week 3 brings people together....as communities or street communities (gangs)
Week 4 would probably start with gang conflicts and the alike.

But that's all speculation based on what people seem to have done so far in history. Again, all events have been in the light that there is hope and a government to save the day....at some point. Take that away, and the whole thing becomes crazy.