Gas shortage

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hooptiedoo
hooptiedoo Member Posts: 100
edited June 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer

Here in the South, we've had a gas shortage ever since Hurricane Ike. I'm in Georgia, and sometimes have had to go from station to station to find gas. Some stations are rationing gas, and some are selling only premium. But even so, it can't begin to touch what is happening in North Carolina, where my daughter is.

They have such a terrible shortage that a local radio station broadcasts which stations have gas. People wait in line for hours, only to finally reach the pumps and learn the gas is gone. Even emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, are allowed to get only so much gas. Fights have broken out, and there have been arrests.

My son-in-law got up extra early this morning to go try to find gas. He found a station, and after waiting for an hour, learned he could only get 10 gallons and would have to pay cash. Someone pumped his gas for him while he ran across the street to an ATM. His company is going to a four-day workweek in the hopes employees won't have to spend as much time in the dangerous gas lines.

A friend in Indiana just told me they've been warned there that the roads will be slicker than usual this winter because of a salt shortage. What the hell is happening to this country? I keep hearing "experts" on the news say we're not in a depression, or even a recession (yet), but if not, what IS this? I'm starting to feel like I live in a Third World country.

I really worry about people in treatment for BC, and all other diseases, for that matter. Now it's just not the cost of treatment, it's the cost of getting there. How many people are missing their treatments because they can't find gas? Or afford it when they do? Are any of you having this situation where you live?

I've been through some hard and scary times, but I've never seen anything like this. I commute to work and worry I'll get there, then not be able to get home. There is no public transportation out where I live. I notice the grocery shelves are more bare, and the prices are out of sight. I know this too will pass, but it certainly is scary.

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  • LuAnnH
    LuAnnH Member Posts: 8,847
    edited September 2008

    The gas situation where you are is awful, and I hope that improves soon.  I know in Ohio where I live gas is not an issue.  You are right though, this country is falling apart.  Prices are getting so far out of whack that people can't afford the necessities.  We have become a lazy society and rely on everything being done for us.  When I was a child we always had land for huge gardens to grow our food, the men would hunt where I lived.  Basically we could manage most of the things we needed without assistance.  Now we rely on fast foods, stores for our produce, you name it we don't do it anymore. 

    I really hope no matter who gets elected as our new president follows through with promises and does something to help our country.  We are self destructing quickly at the rate we are going.

    So sorry you are having such a hard time where you live right now.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited September 2008

    This is scary.  Gas is not an issue in Illinois right now either although its costing a bundle.

    Nicki

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  • cjh
    cjh Member Posts: 78
    edited September 2008

    I am not sure why we are not hearing  little to anything about this crisis up here in the Midwest?!  I am sooo sorry.  Does not seem fair, right, decent,  or smart that effective distribution of essentials such as gas and oil are still in shortage down there!  Gas in MN dropped to 3.36 a gallon this morning, people are filling up because of the price drop.  Houston, I think we have a problem....

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  • badboob67
    badboob67 Member Posts: 2,780
    edited September 2008

    I live in rural western NC. I drove through 3 counties today and talked to others who live in 2 other counties....all five counties are without gas. They are closing down government (non-essential) offices and the governor is working hard trying to get things fixed. The problem here is that most of our stations are small independents that get their supply from a particular pipeline that is not producing enough. The eastern part of the state gets its gas from a different pipeline and is not having too many problems. The governor put in place an "anti-gouging" task force before IKE even made landfall. That was the day that I drove by a gas station to see $3.99/gallon then, an hour later, it was $5.99!!!!!

    I have just enough gas to pick my kids up from school tomorrow. After that...who knows? At least next week is my "off" chemo week...they are suggesting that things will be getting back to normal around the beginning of next week.

    Charlotte's newspaper, THE CHARLOTTE OBSERVER and Asheville's paper, THE CITIZEN-TIMES are both online and will probably help you understand the sitch better than I have!

    Diane

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  • yellowrose
    yellowrose Member Posts: 886
    edited September 2008

    I heard about gas issues in NC from a friend.  It's just so odd.  We are having no problem getting gas and the price yesterday was 3.40.  It only went up about 10-15 cents during the week of the hurricaine, then back down.  We heard it skyrocketed in NC. 

    The only odd thing that I've seen is Walmart quit carrying mid and high octane unleaded.  Now they only carry regular unleaded.  I know that down on the coast there are some issues that are Ike-related but I've talked to family throughout other parts of Texas and supplies are ok.  I hope that they get decent supplies to NC soon.

    The economy is down right scary and there are no good answers there...

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