Was it really her neighbors that sent her there or a police/military? I very much doubt that.

But let's play the hypothetical.

- Would your grandmother's fate be better if instead of kindness she would be spewing vitriol? Don't think so, the situation would have been even worse, much faster.

- What about the other side of the coin - about all of those people, who survived, because they were nice and friendly?

- In general, always having the same strategy, no matter what is happening around you, is dumb. When the environment changes, so should the behavior. Kindness often helps, but not against wild animals like bears, nature forces like tornadoes, and the faceless state bureucracy.