When hurricane sandy rolled through NJ/NYC area, I remember the power being out for 4+ days, and we used cash to buy groceries and fuel.

I also did not have time to drive 1+ hours for supplies, especially when roads were not necessarily cleared of trees and whatnot, and I had elderly to take care of at home.

Also, gas itself was challenging to get with very long lines so driving an hour was not a guarantee to getting it (since everyone else has the same bright idea, you can’t just shift 10M+ vehicles worth of demand overnight to surrounding areas).

I’m surprised gas pumps and everything else still works without power. I guess if you’re effectively tethered to an area that is prone to widespread regional disruptions it makes sense, but that’s a lot more niche than the original “I can’t imagine not having at least a couple hundred dollars in cash…”.

I assume they were using generators.