Dorothea, 

The original poster's comment was that "...It's so sad that, as a community, our first thought is of how our lives are affected by someone else's problems.... I woke up this morning with all of my needs being met ..."

There were hundreds of people, because of THAT man, for whom this (having all needs met) was not true.  

Did they/could they survive?  Yes, of course, almost any Alaskan has that knack.  We have to, as you yourself said.

As I originally said however, it's not as if this merely interrupted some luxury or fun thing.

This man's actions made for a miserable and frustrating night for hundreds of people, including (or especially) those on the road.  Spending over 12 hours in one's car, even WITH the requisite Alaskan survival kit is not akin to merely missing a rerun of "Friends."

THAT, not if/when/how people survive an Alaskan incident, was my primary point.  He did NOT have the right to do that to people.  They have the right to be annoyed that he did.