Gas Shortages in the South
When you think of a hurricane, my first thought is the destruction that can and probably will happen to the coastal cities and towns. What I really never thought of was gas shortages that can and did occur in the south due to Hurricane Ike. An article on MSNBC.com talks about the serious problems due to gas shortages that have taken place in Atlanta, Nashville, TN, the Carolinas, including Charlotte, and mountain towns in the west. There are big gas shortages with some gas stations completely out of gas. There have been long lines are the gas stations with gasoline and the price of gas has risen tremendously. At one station, the cost was $9 a gallon! Outrageous! People have been cancelling plans for the weekend with fears that they will get somewhere and not be able to find gas to get home. AAA received many phone calls with customers asking if they should cancel trips and if they knew where there were gas stations available. “People have been calling saying, ‘If I get there, can I get back?’” said Brad Dean, the president of the chamber of commerce in Myrtle Beach, SC, where the gas is plentiful.
Even though two-thirds of the oil refineries that were shutdown due to Hurricane Ike are back up and running, there is still the shortages. Hopefully they expect the shortages to be over by the end of this weekend. It’s crazy to think how many people are affected by hurricanes and not the obvious destruction, but gasoline instead.