New Yorkers in fuel scramble as storm-hit pumps dry up
 

New Yorkers in fuel scramble as storm-hit pumps dry up

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Drivers and homeowners scrambled to secure fuel for their cars and generators in the U.S. Northeast on Wednesday as storm-hit gasoline stations started to run dry.

More than half of all gasoline service stations in the New York City area and New Jersey were shut because of depleted fuel supplies and power outages, frustrating attempts to restore normal life, industry officials said.

Reports of long lines, dark stations and empty tanks circulated across the region. Some station owners were unable to pump fuel due to a lack of power, while others quickly ran their tanks dry because of increased demand and logistical problems in delivering fresh supplies.

The lack of working gasoline stations is likely to compound travel problems in the region, with the New York City subway system down until at least Thursday and overland rail and bus services severely disrupted.

Homeowners and businesses relying on back-up generators during the power cuts, including many Wall Street banks in lower Manhattan, may also run short of fuel.

"I don't have any lights and need this gasoline for my generator," said Abdul Rahim Anwar at a Getty service station in Gowanus, Brooklyn, as he put two full jerry cans into his trunk.

Tempers flared as a queue of at least 30 cars spilled down the street, with drivers blaring horns, shouting and getting out of their cars. Pump attendant Nadim Amid said the station had already run out of regular gasoline and only had a tiny amount of super unleaded and diesel left.

One driver, a doctor who asked not to be named, said she had driven all the way across New York City from New Jersey, where half of all businesses and homes are still without power. More than 80 percent of filling stations in the state were unable to sell gasoline as of Wednesday morning, said Sal Risalvato, head of the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience, Automotive Association.

"It's going to be an ugly few days until we can see both power and supplies restored," Risalvato said.

Gasoline stations on New York's Long Island and the city borough of Staten Island also reported shortages, while lengthy lines were seen in the borough of Queens. Commuters may see higher prices at the pumps in the coming days, though oil traders said that with so many people unable to buy gasoline it may eventually lead to a surplus in the region.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency temporarily waived clean gasoline requirements for 16 states on the eastern seaboard through November 20 in a bid to help ease the supply crunch.

GAS BUT NO POWER, POWER BUT NO GAS

New Yorkers in fuel scramble as storm-hit pumps dry up...

I don't think I could get along living in an area like that with so many intelligent people crowded together and stacked like rats in cages.

I liked your post, but question the intelligence of people who've known for a week the storm was coming, and the day after it hits are out looking for gas.

Me too! And now they're walking around looking for a cellphone signal. Reminds me of the routine with someone yelling at someone else, "HELLO! HELLO!"

Without the massive infrastructure required for a city, those folks are closer to a tipping point than they could ever imagine.

Certainly a good example of not having preps in place....before hand! Specially with all the warnings they had.

They're living in a place that adds difficulty to prepping. How are you going to keeo warm in an apartment where the heating system in the basement was flooded and you're going to be without power and water for possibly weeks.

They can't flush a toilet and they're not going to be able to haul that much water. The elevators don't work. They have to use dark stairwells. Folks on upper floors are going to have it tough. Look for a lot of older people to die. There's no way they can shelter that many people.

The way I read it is this and I was only talking about fuel.
Not water or anything else, as gennies and gas, is what the OP was about.

If they had a gennie that was safe and in a safe place to use it (not flooded), they were looking to find fuel for it. So why not have some on hand, seeing the gennie was in a safe place.

As for cars, why were they not kept filled?
Thats the way I was reading it.

I could be wrong, would not be the first time. :)

I don't do gennies here, but I do keep the car topped up at all times with a can or two for back up.

How lucky they will be if it only takes a few days. I imagine it will get uglier by the hour until then.

and so the Aftermath begins... much prayer for all those folks...

The immediate thing on some folks' minds is gasoline. Other's are facing a much more dire situation. We're headng into winter. The weather isn't going to be getting warmer.

There was a video on the news about an almost mile long line of cars waiting for fuel....

. . . . "very intelligent people" . . . . . . .?????????

Not according to the mind set of a goodly number of us here on HT........

I guess by the grace of God, I was born smack dab in the middle of kansas.
I feel bad for these folks,,, life in the big city is just too hectic. How could they possibly even think of prepping for a disaster, just getting to work has to be a major event each day.
No wonder they come home and make themselves a double martini.

Blankets, sleeping bags, long johns, even candles will throw some heat.

Wendy; . .shame on you for being so logical.........

I'll bet you a dollar to a doughnut that those hi rise ------s do not own or know what sleeping bags or long johns are........

They live in a different world than you and I..............

I called a good friend on Long Island about 3 days before the storm. "Humor me and go fill your tanks, buy bottled water, non-perishable food, and maybe even a generator." Money is not an object for them. Her response was that it if it got bad they would just head north to us and her family. Last text we got from her was no heat, no power, no gas, no water and no way out. Walked 17 blocks to find an open store and all they were offering was hot coffee. Her family members went out and bought a generator for them for when they can access their area. The best information that my friend has is that it will be 14 to 21 days until their power is restored. Not a good situation. I also see other "friends" on Facebook with family stranded in NJ, trying to get out and the gas stations are dry. So sad. Maybe next time (if there is a next time), when I call and say, "humor me", they will listen? Then again, maybe not... :hair

Since we don't usually get outages like this around here, a lot of people with generators don't really know how much fuel a genny uses. Many people bought generators because of the predictions about this storm. Average people don't usually have more than 2 gas cans. We have a lot of them because I find them on the side of the highway after people fill up their tanks or I find them in the grassy median when they blow off the back of pickup trucks.

I think that the bolded part is what is important. We don't have a generator right now. (Gave it to my parents) We have a lot of gas so that we can operate the chainsaw, mower, snowblower & emergency fuel for the car. In an emergency, our stored gas is only going to be used to clear our path and power the car.

For people with a generator and a car, a couple of gas cans isn't enough to get them through and they will have to start siphoning from the car to keep it running. Though many of the homes in NY State are heated with natural gas, the furnaces won't work without electrical power. If you don't have a backup source of heating (like wood) then you need to use the genny power to use the furnace . It is 11am here right now and it is only 41 degrees. It is usually colder at night.

I agree, if they have both to feed, they certainly will need lots more.

I gave mine up years ago to someone who could use/needed it more than I ever would. I used to camp a lot and have all sorts of things I need for light, etc..
So there was no need for me to keep it when someone else could use it. Besides, I enjoy it when the power does go out and it has for many days at a time here and don't miss it.

Also my couple of cans are here where I can get them right now.
I have, shall we say access to more down the way, in a safe area for storing gas. That way, they don't sprouts legs either. ;)

Its 38F here, which is unusually warm for here at this time of year, so the wood stove is on low. So I know full well what they are dealing with there.

My concern is for the older folks and kids. They don't have much choice but to reply on others. They would be the first I would be right in there to help, if I was closer.

Sorry! :D I really do feel sorry for people that are so (I hate to say it) dumb. So many people with lots of school smarts, but no common sense. Very sad. Especially when their kids suffer from their lack of smarts.

I filled every can I had in anticipation of running the generator just enough to keep my full freezer ok ( not for lights and TV ) and the car was full. In trying to get back to normal people are going back to work and many like me commute a bit of a distance , On Weds I noticed the lines in NJ so topped off when I got home to NYS. Tommorrow I will need gas again if I want to make it to work on Sat and I probably wont be able to get it so no work, no pay.

Many people live in densly populated areas and have no means of storing more then a gallon or two.

I think the tension comes from priorities . Someone filling cans to run a gen so the kids can watch dvds should nt have priority over someone who needs fuel to get to work but everyone thinks their need is most important

I will skip work if I must but I will have fuel to run the freezer I just filled with the pork and veggies I worked so hard for. If that runs out I will start canning.

\\The lines at the few stations that are open are probably a mile long here in northern NJ.

It is getting cold at night

Good for you, Vickie. :)

You were prepared and used your head, where so many were/are not.

Good luck and be careful out there.

Here are pictures from Accuweather:
Photos: Millions Cope With No Power From Superstorm Sandy

Good pics an absolutely SHOULD make people think

When you look at those pictures and those from previous disaster why wouldn't a person come to a conclusion that "Hey lets go out and get batteries, water, and on and on and on. Just not having the hassle makes you want to do it ?? I don't understand

Thanks for the link to pictures.

So sad...

A lot of people did go out to get supplies. Though our area didn't get hit at all, there were no batteries or bottled water to be had around here. It was on the local news on Saturday night. The storm didn't hit until Monday.

I had to attend a grand opening of a grocery store on Sunday and arrived 20 minutes before the ceremony. The store was the last one around with water or batteries when it opened, but by the time I got to those aisles, they were completely out.

Also, how many batteries does it take to get you through a disaster of indeterminate length? I keep batteries on hand, but I don't know how long they'd last if I had to rely on them in an emergency. I do have a better idea as to how long candles last.

We were a long way from the landfall of the storm but the remaining energy was forecast to come up and right over us.

I told my coworkers to think about what could happen....and suggested that they fill up their vehicles, have supplies for 72 hours and have cash in small bills handy, just in case.

We didnt get much weather here ( it went west) so all was well.

I had a coworker thank me for giving her a heads up on the storm. Due to her lifestyle, she is one of the last coworkers I would think of as a prepper. We got to talking and she detailed her list of supplies that she keeps in her apt. Wow, she is really ready for bugging out or hunkering down
I was pleasantly surprised but I never would have guessed her capability from what I knew of her.

Well after reading all the problems people have depending on gas for cars and not having enough to evacuate; I will never again complain about only having two horses and a cart! Actually only one horse pulls the cart. That's our transportation and two bicycles! The horses are fine as long as they can scrounge grass to eat. The bikes go as long as we don't get so old we can't pedal! We keep extra patches in the event a tube gets a hole in it.

The bottom line is a person should really be prepping their health to stay as fit as they possibly can. If nothing else you can still walk away if you are forwarned of what is coming.

On the nbc news they did a quickie sound bite of an idiot in the very long gas line.
And the way he said "I'm running out of gas" said to me that that idiot had his engine running all the while.....................


In deed................."very intelligent sheeple"


But the bottom line was that the sheeple are getting very testy..........

stay tuned . . .it is far from over...........

here ya go

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