Simon Says: Lessons from Hurricane Helene

It brings out the best in people and the worst.

Best: Neighbors helping clear trees, providing water, offering lifts.

Worst: Impatient drivers who yell at electricity workers repairing the infrastructure because they can’t go down their preferred road. Workers getting out of their vehicles to yell and point fingers at fellow workers.

From an economic point of view, the free market is a great way to allocate resources.

Publix understood what customers would demand and quickly got water, ice, and charcoal grills into their National Hills store (where I shop). They also provided free Wi-Fi, so I cycled every day to check email and catch up on texts because cell service was so poor at home.

The price system acts as an incentive to influence behavior.

Many firms arrived from out of town to clear trees from roads and yards. Did some price gouge? I don’t know because there is not a good definition of price gouging. Classic economics say as demand increases for tree services; the price will rise. Did the price rise – yes. How big an increase in price is gouging? Remember, all trade is voluntary, when someone wanted a price for tree removal, we thought was too high, we said no.

Some lessons learned

Keep an old-fashioned battery-operated radio at home to stay connected to the news when cell service doesn’t allow you to access the internet. Get a solar charger for your small electrical appliances. Governments should think of alternative ways of communicating with residents, I cannot visit a website, Facebook, open an app, or portal.

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