Gasoline Shortage? - Freak Out!

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Gas is going to hit $5 tomorrow! Head to you nearest station and tank up while it's still cheap! The long wait will be worth it!

Every friggin gas station here in Hixson has been descended upon by a torrent of alarmed folk. A place on 153 had a line out into the highway, thus giving me the pleasure of sitting in stop & go traffic for 30 minutes on the way home from work. On the bike, mind you, which is far less fun than the same activity in a car.

Thw worst part is that my truck was on empty, and I have to drive it to a meeting tomorrow, so I had to get gas, either tonight or tomorrow morning. And given the run on stations, I figured there was a passable chance gas might be tough to find tomorrow... so I just braved the lines around the corner.

Madness.

[Guest bkelm18]

Who said gas is gonna be $5 tomorrow?

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Probably some yokel on a corner who was overheard by three people who then proceeded to call all their friends and start the rumor mill a-buzzing.

[TripleDigitRide]

This is the first I've heard of this. I call !

[Punisher84]

This is why we need breeding restrictions...

[Smith]

No, I got an e-mail from my friend who drives for Budweiser and they got a corporate e-mail saying the refineries are down in Houston and gas will be $5.00 by Friday.

[Guest bkelm18]

I'll believe it when I see it.

[dunndw]

I was told the same thing from a buddy who runs a route for a uniform company. They were all told to top off their trucks tonight

[Guest Loki]

I'll believe it when I see it.

Fox confirmed about an hour ago that Texas has begun manditory evacuations of the entire coast, and yes, ALL the refineries have been shut down, including the largest one in America.

After the storm passes, it will take at least 72 hours to get them running again if there's no damage.

After seeing the fox report, I went to the gas station. Line was out the parking lot and down the street. Doesn't matter if it's BS or not, we're gonna run out from panic buying. Call BS all you want, but my tank is full. plus a couple of gas cans.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

I'll believe it when I see it.

As will I. Until then, I'll just have to avoid driving within 1000 yards of a gas station, lest I be caught in a traffic jam. Hopefully some of this hysteria will die off tomorrow.

[dralarms]

I say it's a bunch of crap. Someone heard something who heard something who heard something and then it was not even what they thought they heard, my SIL is running around spreading it even further.

All this is supposed to be being caused by the hurricane, If gas is in short supply for a couple of days it might get up to 5 bucks but I doubt it. I guess if it does happen then I'll be parked for a few days and only go where I HAVE to. I'm self employeed and drive my truck to work, which might be 1/2 mile from my house and it might be 100 miles from my house, just depends on what is going on that day.

[Guest bkelm18]

Fox confirmed about an hour ago that Texas has begun manditory evacuations of the entire coast, and yes, ALL the refineries have been shut down, including the largest one in America.

After the storm passes, it will take at least 72 hours to get them running again if there's no damage.

After seeing the fox report, I went to the gas station. Line was out the parking lot and down the street. Doesn't matter if it's BS or not, we're gonna run out from panic buying. Call BS all you want, but my tank is full. plus a couple of gas cans.

Never called it BS, but I'm not buying into the panic until I see it.

[dralarms]

Fox confirmed about an hour ago that Texas has begun manditory evacuations of the entire coast, and yes, ALL the refineries have been shut down, including the largest one in America.

After the storm passes, it will take at least 72 hours to get them running again if there's no damage.

After seeing the fox report, I went to the gas station. Line was out the parking lot and down the street. Doesn't matter if it's BS or not, we're gonna run out from panic buying. Call BS all you want, but my tank is full. plus a couple of gas cans.

Correct, it will take 72 hrs to get them cranking again. I got 1/2 tank, that will get me where I HAVE to go tomorrow.

[TripleDigitRide]

Has gas ever gone up $1.50 in a matter of hours?

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Even if prices to jump, don't have to get around much, and when I do, I generally take the bike, which gets about 45 mpg. Gas prices are annoying, but don't cause me a lot of personal grief. I guess if I really want to be safe, I could go back to the station at about 2 AM and fill up the lawnmower tank. One of those is worth two tanks in the bike.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Has gas ever gone up $1.50 in a matter of hours?

Your calm logic and sound reasoning are no match for the rumor mill and the ability of the average American to believe whatever they hear.

[Rightwinger]

Ok ok....some serious factual information. Sis in law called us to ask if we had gassed up. I said yes, we had already got the word of an increase happening tonight. I had already heard on the news that OPEC has decreased output...that will drive up prices. The rigs in the gulf have shut down cutting output there by 95%. Sis in law works at Petroleum distributor that services Shell shops in the mid TN area. Two terminals in Nashville had raised their prices 50 cents a gallon at 10 am this morning. Diesel was up 14 cents per at the same time. She was estimating a 1.00 increase over tomorrow minimum. She did not mention 5.00 and would have as she and her company are directly driven by this information. Its going up. How far is the question.

[Guest Loki]

Correct, it will take 72 hrs to get them cranking again. I got 1/2 tank, that will get me where I HAVE to go tomorrow.

72 hours if there's NO DAMGE. And add in, they are shut down NOW, and the storm isn't supposed to hit untill Saturday morning. 10 or 12 hours untill the storm passes and they can check damage, however long it takes to get all the employees back and THEN start up. The refineries could be down for more than a week, not just 72 hours.

Panic buying will run most stations dry within 48 hours from right now.

I would advise everyone to fill up at some point tonight, even if you have to wait untill 3 o'clock in the morning to do it. If it's all BS, what's the worst case? You have a full tank of gas. You were gonna buy it anyway.

[Rightwinger]

The pain in my arse right now is the bike is in shop for 5K service and won't be back earlier than Saturday. Been in the wifes beater Mercury Tracer all week and she takes the truck to work as we live a mile from her place and 39 miles from mine! Now I gotta burn gas to go get the bike. That and it will probably be raining. I'm in a foul mood.

[Guest eyebedam]

I was told by a friend Stationed in El paso @ Ft. Bliss they had a meeting today & gas will be a 5.00 a gallon by tomorrow. Who knows if its BS or not but it really sucks if its true.

[Punisher84]

I'm not even worried about it. I got food here and enough gas back and forth to work for 2 days, plus around town. If it just goes insane then I can just get around the old fashioned way.

[TripleDigitRide]

Well, I just went to the Exxon at the corner, and the price has gone up about 30 cents since this morning. No line out the parking lot--three cars total.

[Guest GUTTERbOY]

Prices here are the same as they've been the last couple weeks so far.

[NuTcAsE]

[Wakethor]

There wouldn't be a shortage if these people would stop running to fill up their tanks. Kangaroo put up their stupid sign asking people to ration and only pump 10 gallons(so they all pump 20+ of course). Then the idiots on the news start reporting it and then people freak out and start topping off their tanks for no reason. All those running out to fill up are going to bring out $5/gallon gas. It would be $4/gallon with just the refinery's down; probably.