Imagine the oil stopped flowing last Tuesday. Your car's tank of gas is on 1/4 and you decide that it would be best to save it for an emergency. Standing in the middle of your brand new subdivision (example left), you scan the horizon for movement and see none. Your kitchen cabinets are nearly empty and you decide it may be time to hit the store. You begin a long walk to the little convenience store three miles away.
Unfortunately, when you get there, you see a Sheriff's deputy guarding the entrance to the obviously looted store. You ask someone in line what happened and she explains that after the delivery trucks failed to make it for three consecutive days, the store owner felt compelled to close. An enraged crowd gathered, broke a window, and carried away the remaining food, bottled water, and paper products. You hear the same thing happened at the two grocery stores in Emeryville two more miles down the road. Deliveries are not being made anywhere. The word is that the National Guard will be bringing in supplies including food and water by the weekend. Unfortunately, they are stretched thin due to riots and unrest elsewhere. Given that the annual rainfall in the valley is 12 inches, planting a victory garden is off the agenda.
Is this science fiction? Not possible in the U.S.? Many analysts consider this this a plausible situation due to the impacts of post-peak oil. As you can imagine, the fictional town depicted in this freethink would not be the best place to experience such an emergency.
