It seems like almost every looming natural disaster brings a headline or two about attempts to profit off of people as they prepare and panic. Price-gouging for essentials like gas, water, and ice is not a new practice, yet it never fails to inspire anger and disgust when it happens. It’s so common, Florida passed a law against it in 1992; the Sunshine State is not alone.
But as Hurricane Dorian threatens landfall, and multiple governors of states in its path have declared a state of emergency, price-gouging is popping up across Florida; over 1000 reports have already come in, according to the Attorney General.
In Tampa:
A picture taken from inside the (Family Dollar) store shows 24 packs selling for $18 and $24, a steep price hike from an online ad (Tampa resident Miranda) Doyel downloaded showing the same packages costing $4.25 on special this week.
And another Family Dollar price-gouge was reported in Lehigh Acres, 140 miles away, has a 24-pack priced at $46.80.
It’s even happening on Amazon.
But in Winter Haven, one small business isn’t just passively NOT price-gouging: They’re actively putting their community first.
Grove Roots Brewing, in Winter Haven, Fla., had to shut down beer production ahead of Dorian, as the increasingly-powerful storm poses enough risk to the fermentation process that it’s simply not worth taking the gamble. That left their giant fermentation tanks sterilized and empty.
So they filled them with clean, fresh water. Fifteen hundred gallons of water, actually. Grove Roots owner Joe Dunham told CNN Saturday that they’ve filled all four of their tanks with water, and hooked up hoses to them. Once it’s “safe to come out,” Dunham says, those hoses will be hydrating the community.
“We believe in our small town and will do all we can to help people. If the need arises, we will have plenty of water to share. It’s the least we can do for the community we love.”
Dunham also shared the brewery’s oh-so-simple plan for distribution.
“We’ll fill up any container. From a bottle to a growler that we sell here, to buckets, whatever you have that you’d like filled, we can fill.”
Fla. Gov. Ron DeSantis is advising residents in the path of the storm have at least a week’s worth of water on hand.
But as Daily Kos’ Marissa Higgins wrote during the 2018 hurricane season, even without price-gouging, following such survival guidelines is not always possible.
(E)vacuations are easier said than done. Between the cost of gas, lodging, and time off from work, evacuations can feel impossible for low-income people. Accessibility can also be a logical nightmare during an evacuation, causing some people with disabilities, the elderly, or those with vulnerable dependents, like children or pets, to consider staying to ride out potential natural disasters.
For folks who can’t flee, and can’t stockpile, Grove Roots’ water supply could literally be the difference between life and death. For Dunham and his brewery, this is clearly a no-brainer, and an expense they’re happy to shoulder. But, as is so often true, a good deed that means little to us can mean everything to someone else.
More of this, please.