I would hope everyone learned a lesson this time around and do whatever stocking up they can reasonably afford. The violence and killing after the fact will be a result of the Have-nots trying to get their hands on the stuff of the Haves. It won't take long for the Haves to understand the basic rule of survival: protect your personal property. A person trying to forcibly take your personal property is trying to kill you in order to save himself. Those who can't protect themselves and their property are doomed.
Alas, the collective memory of the majority of Americans is excruciatingly short. Most of those people who intend to do some basic prepping today will put it off and then, in three months, will have totally forgotten about the devastation we know as Sandy.
Remember, cops don't prevent crime, they investigate crimes after the fact. Law enforcement after the fact does nothing to eliminate either the terror or consequences of the crime while it is being committed.