Gas pumps running dry in New Orleans

[tpsbmam]

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/08/report-gas-pump.html


Original posting at 12:41 p.m. ET: Many of the gas stations in New Orleans have been out of fuel since yesterday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The same goes for Lafayette, La., The Advertiser says.

"It's not a case of a shortage of gasoline," Don Redman of AAA tells The Advertiser, a fellow Gannett newspaper. "It's a case of a large number of people making a big, unexpected rush to service stations."

Demand is high as far west as Nacogdoches, Texas. The Daily Sentinel says there are "long lines at area fueling stations" in that community, which is about six hours from New Orleans. Doug Jordan of Morgan Oil tells the paper that they're working hard to keep the tanks full. "At this time, everything's in good shape, you never know though," he says.

As we told you Thursday, the Louisiana attorney general's office is warning gas stations and other businesses not to engage in price gouging as demand begins to exceed supply.

Update at 3:50 p.m. ET: Here's the latest situation report from Shell:

Shell-branded stations throughout the gulf coast are experiencing a spike in demand as anticipated prior to evacuation and Hurricane Gustav landfall. Despite the demand increase, supply at the station level remains strong in general. ... New Orleans, Baton Rouge and surrounding areas (Lafayette, Lake Charles) are experiencing the greatest consumer demand with approximately 10% of Shell branded stations out of fuel as of 10 a.m. this morning. We will continue to make deliveries and keep stations open as long as it is safe to do so, but safety is the number one priority and our employees and operators will need to evacuate the area.

[liberalmuse]

1. Do you know if everyone will be able to get out?

I honestly don't want to hear about another Katrina situation, where people who didn't have cars couldn't leave. I hope to god the Bush administration has helped with logistics this time.

[goodcitizen]

2. Family in Louisiana

They are reporting towns just south of Shreveport running out of gas.

[tpsbmam]

5. For pity's sake.....

didn't they learn from Rita? TX is reportedly setting things up so that there are tankers all along the evacuation route ready to replenish gas supplies. But that's TX -- anyone know if they're doing something similar in LA?

[goodcitizen]

7. Unfortunately...

...Louisiana is infamously and eternally incompetent. None of my family have mentioned tankers.

[tpsbmam]

8. Missed how new you are....welcome to DU, GC. Best of luck to your family!! n/t

[Seen the light]

3. Things are running much more smoothly so far than before Katrina

[tpsbmam]

4. They're doing a better job of evacuating so far.....

though goodness only knows we won't really hear until it hits and afterward. But it appears they're doing a better job -- trains, buses, chartered planes, etc. And they're evacuating pets, though not with their owners -- the pets are going to a separate place for safety (which would totally preclude it for me -- dogs go with ME, but I'm lucky enough to have a car and I can afford the insurance, gas, etc). We shall see -- I sure as hell don't want to hear that people couldn't get out because they couldn't get gas! But it appears that it's still a small percentage of stations that are out of gas -- hard to tell since this is the American corporate media doing the reporting.

[dkofos]

6. No worries, they will be full of water next week.