Miguel touched on this a little bit with his post After a Natural Disaster, the Human Predators come out, but I wanted get into this topic a bit more.

First this story from CNN:

Winter storm death toll rises to 27 in the Buffalo, New York, area but officials fear it will continue to climb

Dozens of Americans have died have died as a winter storm brought frigid temperatures and paralyzing snowfall totals across the US, and officials in the Buffalo area believe the staggering toll will continue to grow there as teams carry on with search-and-rescue missions.

The nationwide death toll from storm, which brought more than 40 inches of snow to some areas, climbed to 49 on Monday, with 27 of those deaths in Erie County, New York.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that 14 people in the county had died of exposure, three people were found in their vehicles, four had no heat, three were from “shoveling/(snow) blowing cardiac events, and three people passed away after EMS services were delayed.

Too many people, including residents just going out to see the massive snowfall, are going out in their vehicles and getting stuck and blocking recovery efforts, he said.

The deaths I find most shocking are the people who went out into the cold and died, especially those trapped in their cars.

How quickly civilized people forget how lethal mother nature can be when the comforts of technology are removed.

Then there is this article from the NY Post:

Looters ransack snowbound Buffalo as cops are stuck elsewhere

Deadly blizzard conditions in upstate New York gave cover to local looters over the weekend as they robbed businesses while police were stuck elsewhere.

Some businesses had their windows smashed and merchandise damaged and stolen as snow and ice pummeled the region, local TV station WRGZ reported.

Buffalo cops made a “few” arrests, according to city Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia, who added that investigations continue into other incidents after widespread reports of looting on social media.

The weather conditions limited the crime-fighting efforts of local law enforcement, with travelers’ stranded vehicles clogging roads and snow-related emergencies taking police away from their normal beats.

#BuffaloLooting was trending.

https://twitter.com/offgridsurvival/status/1607499855798337539?s=19

https://twitter.com/offgridsurvival/status/1607496578209828865?s=19

NEW: Walmart store devastated by ongoing looting in Buffalo, New York

Don’t worry, they’re deemed as “mostly peaceful protests.” Sound familiar? #BuffaloBlizzard2022 #BuffaloStorm2022 #BuffaloLooting pic.twitter.com/reY18PMHYF

— Avatar Jordan (@jprince_cheryl) December 26, 2022

Looters taking advantage of the extreme cold in Buffalo NY today. Lord knows what they're doing now that the sun has set….#buffalo #looting #bombcyclone #coldweather pic.twitter.com/CPiJcgiCnu

— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) December 26, 2022

https://twitter.com/Tr00peRR/status/1607266379639709698?s=19

https://twitter.com/Tr00peRR/status/1607267565780303872?s=19

With the police busy dealing with people who underestimated the harshness of the weather, the Savages who prey upon the civilized set upon stores and businesses to pillage and plunder.

This shows just how tenuous our grasp on civilization really is.

Some sub zero temperatures and a few feet of snow and am American city goes Lord of the Flies.

This is why self reliance and the ability to self rescue are so important.

People will venture out and get stuck.  Law enforcement will go to rescue them.  The savages will use the lack of available law enforcement and the cover of darkness and bad weather to prey upon the helpless, and nobody will come to rescue you.

When the snow piles up, cracks will form in civilization and you are on your own.

Be prepared.