TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Gas Shortages Linked To Hurricanes

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: September 23, 2008

HOUSTON - Some gasoline stations in parts of the Southeast are out of fuel and shortages could persist for days as refiners continue to recover from the one-two punch of hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

A crush of people topping off tanks - or panic buying in some cases - can worsen the problem, industry officials say.

"The system is not equipped for that," said Jeff Lenard, spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, which represents more than 2,200 gasoline retailers. "The system is equipped for people to buy gas once or twice a week."

Even with power restored to a dozen Louisiana refineries put out of commission by Gustav, Ike's approach closed or disrupted operations at another dozen-plus refineries along the upper Texas Gulf Coast, an area that accounts for about 20 percent of the nation's gas and diesel production.

Analysts say the gasoline shortages across the Southeast should disappear in the next week when Gulf Coast refineries resume normal production levels. For now, the major pipelines that deliver fuel to many parts of the eastern United States are ready for shipments - the supplies just aren't available.

Jim Burton, the owner of a Chevron station in midtown Atlanta, was forced to shut down for four days last week because he ran out of fuel. His station was one of the few places in that part of town that had gas Monday. He directed traffic around his pumps as small lines started to form around lunchtime.

"I've been in business since 1959, and I've seen these things happen three or four times, but this is by far the worst I've seen," he said.

"I think it's a temporary situation, but consumers shouldn't be shocked if stations in their area run out of product," said Ben Brockwell, director of data, pricing and information services for the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J. "The supply system was critically disrupted, and you can't shut something down and expect it to get started back smoothly without there being some aftershocks."

In most cases, the biggest issue for refiners has been getting electricity restored and their equipment restarted - a process that can take several days because of the size and complexity of the plants.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT