JESSE WALKER: “There’s a popular stereotype, fed by films and other media, that says that natural disasters are almost invariably followed by looting. But in the real U.S., theft and violence are extremely rare in such situations. In Texas right now, as Hurricane Ike moves northwards, you’ll find reports of people fretting about looters as they refuse to leave their homes. Yet when you look at how neighbors in the storm’s path are actually behaving, you see cooperation instead.”

Yes, and as I’ve written before, that kind of response is common. More here.