...I live in an area outside of Memphis, TN. My mother just came home to tell me that she stopped at 2 gas stations & saw lines at the gas pumps at both.
She stopped at one gas station that had the cheapest gas, in order to fill up her car before the price goes up anymore. It seems like everyone else had the same idea she had, and there was lines. Since that station didn't sell Powerball tickets, she stopped at another one & saw the same thing there too.
So far the only reports of "real" panic have been in Georgia & Louisiana...
Reports out of Atlanta, had a run on their gas stations. Atlanta's fuel supply has been cut off since the Hurricane, with damage to fuel pipelines. Reportedly, one of the pipelines
(Colonial) that supplies Atlanta was to be restored to
"25-35%" capacity by tomorrow. From the
Atlanta Journal Constitution...
Lines at Atlanta area gas pumps grew along with prices this afternoon as word spread of possible fuel shortages.
By noon today, several metro Atlanta gas stations had posted prices above $3.15 per gallon. Some metro area stations were charging as much as $4.75 a gallon, according to a Web site that keeps track of such things, www.atlantagasprices.com...
...At the Chevron gas station at 10th and Spring streets in Midtown, drivers were limited to buying $10 of gas which was selling for $2.99 a gallon. A sign inside the station said "Due to fuel shortage, we are having to restrict use."
Tim Gara was filling up the Toyata RAV4 he bought in April with low gas mileage in mind. "I knew [gas] would be a problem with the hurricane. I didn't know it'd get to rationing," Gara said. Dawn Townsend, driving a VW Beetle, said the rationing reminded her of the oil crisis in the early 1970s. "I was remembering all the lines," she said.
At about 3 p.m., more than 40 cars were in line for gas at the BP at Pharr and Piedmont roads. Of the 16 pumps, only four were working. James Yodr said, "My sister called 15 minutes ago and said there was no gas where she was. The news is spreading fast." Long lines were also reported at gas stations along Memorial Drive and Hill Street in DeKalb County, and the Virginia-Highland Chevron. Cars lined up to get into gas stations were causing huge traffic jams on main arteries in Sandy Springs around 4:30 p.m.
A similar situation was occuring in
Fayetville, Louisiana...
At one Shell station, the operator was trying to explain to irate customers why he had to impose a 10-gallon limit on all customers.
"If I don't, I run out this afternoon," the operator said with a raised voice to two men. "Then what will we do?" The men left with their 10-gallon limits pumped.
Lines of vehicles snaked out onto busy Ga. Highway 85 along Fayetteville's main business strip around 4 p.m. Wednesday. Every gas station along the strip had waiting lines. Sometimes drivers merely topped off tanks half-full or better.
Anybody else seeing this kind of buying in their area?