It is curious that such a large scale event went unnoticed by federal agencies. I'm going only by your comments, as I haven't researched the event in full. But you do live there so, I'll take your word as truth

Some areas of the country, IMO, are highly dependent on the rest of the country for survival, these are areas that generally focus on tourism trades for the bulk of their states economy. I know nearly every time a hurricane comes to Florida it is declared a state of emergency. I was up in Vermont one year and we had a freak storm, actually got on CNN, where two tornadoes or water-funnels came off of the lake we were staying on. They killed two people and destroyed most of the area including blocking every road way around the lakes. What was amazing to me, was like what you described. Out of no where came people with chainsaws cutting up the road blocks, groups of people were going door to door to check on each other and then forming groups to go get food and supplies to bring back to the lake. We had no electricity for 2 solid weeks, no phones no anything. It was just astonishing to see the 'team work' mentality.

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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.