[Travis McGee]

Along all the roads in the region, makeshift camps have been set up. Residents of the towns lined up patiently as fire engines served out buckets of water; in the villages, locals ran out into the road to forcibly stop trucks and beg for supplies of noodles and biscuits. "Someone had better set up relief coordination, or the people will resort to robbery," said one man in the village of Wudu.

In much of the USA, the robbery would begin five minutes after the power went out, and go downhilll from there.

[DuncanWaring]

Maybe, maybe not.

In those places where the populace has been dependent on government for everything for generations, Yeah, about five minutes.

In those places where the populace has been dependent on themselves for generations, it might never start.

Except for situations in which denizens of “Region A” migrate to “Region B” after pickings in “Region A” get slim.

Until the denizens of “Region B” convince them otherwise.

[txhurl]

This is going to get so much worse before it gets any better.

I stay up at night pondering how on earth the PRC is going to remedy this.

[DeaconBenjamin]

to forcibly stop trucks and beg for supplies of noodles and biscuits

Noodles I can understand -- but cookies?