Question for those in the Southeast...

[Rami]

To all,

Pardon my ignorance, but where did these stories and problems with gas shortage and subsequent panics stem from? Is it because the refineries that are shut down / coming back online affact you directly?

Here in the Northeast, (Massachusetts) we have not had any shortages or panics that I know of, and aside from the few days surrounding Gustav and Ike's landfalls, gas prices have been on a steady decline.

At last check, we're looking at prices for regular unleaded around $3.35/gallon, with diesel prices about $4.10 a gallon.

Whatever the situation is, I hope it gets taken care of soon. My dad tells me stories of playing chess with my mom or his friends while waiting in line for gas in the 70s, and it makes me shudder. :isadizzy:

[jmig]

Most of the southern states get their gasoline from refineries in Louisiana and Texas (Houston Beaumont area). Those refineries were either curtailed or shut down for a few days.

I guess the available supply decreased in large consumption areas, like Atlanta, for a day or so. Panic was the result.

I was in Atlanta just last Wed & Thur. There was gas but it was around $4.00 a gallon. I had filled up just across the border in Alabama and had no problems.

[hews500d]

Hi Rami, speaking for what happened here in Eastern TN just before Ike hit there was a radio DJ that announced everyone should go fill their tanks because "gas is going to go up after Ike hits" I think between that and people just seeing other people line up at the pumps started a chain reaction of panic buying. I haven't seen it like that since 9/11, people were literally cutting each other off and jumping line, even bringing five and six 5 gallon gas cans filling them full too, and what's amazes me, is probably half to 3/4 of those people probably didn't NEED gas at the time.

According to recent news reports we do get a lot of our gas from the gulf cost refineries and there are still several areas where gas shortages are a real problem, but where I live we seem to have an adequate supply, but i suspect it would only take a little nervousness on someone's part to create a panic situation again.

Darrell