> Trying to regulate prices always results in gluts, shortages When the demand is higher than the supply and supply is inelastic (which is the case for these k

> Trying to regulate prices always results in gluts, shortages When the demand is higher than the supply and supply is inelastic (which is the case for these kind of events) then there's no difference between unaffordable prices and a shortage. The difference only exist for the upper class who can pay the inflated price anyway. In a society where there are significant differences in income, the price signal is meaningless and it just segregates people by revenues.