Panic gasoline buyers leave some stations running low

[sabra]

http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/7/045740-7067-004.html

Panic gasoline buyers leave some stations running low

MUNCIE - Panic-induced gasoline purchases - by consumers who believed the impact of Hurricane Katrina would either have fuel prices soaring or cause gas shortages - left some local stations short on fuel Tuesday.

A man on Monday pulled up to pumps at an Indiana GasAmerica station and pumped four 55-gallon drums full of gasoline, according to Jim Haddock, a company vice president.

"If I could get any message across to the general public, it would be to conserve, to not be wasteful, and to curtail extra trips until this is over with," Haddock said Tuesday. "We are the last guys who want to run out of gas; we are attempting to keep product at our stations, and we don't want to fuel the panic."

Hurricane Katrina had put a squeeze on the Greenfield-based company's supply lines, and three of its 76 stations in Indiana and Ohio had run out of fuel late Monday. An independent company without refineries of its own, GasAmerica depends on suppliers who either allocated reduced amounts of fuel the past two days - or none at all.

[uppityperson]

1. Wow, and away we go.

Good thing the USA was prepared for a disaster. Wait, that was prepared for a terrorist strike and this was a natural disaster so it doesn't count. Ah.

[Joebert]

2. Holy cow, and I was upset paying $30.00 to fill my hybrid

That guy just bought 220 gallons, or $600.00+ worth of gasoline!

This is the only oil-industry related person you'll ever hear say conserve.

Likely, he'll be fired for suggesting it.

[Voltaire99]

3. Time to pro-rate gas according to vehicle fuel efficiency. (nt)