Gas Lines in NC

[tekisui]

and around the corner past the interstate:


And, another one:


Most stations are out or closed. Those that have ANY fuel have lines like these until it's gone. People have been waiting in lines for up to an hour and a half. Police have been at these stations to direct traffic and prevent fights(there have been some-one with a baseball bat).

We are told it could be two more weeks before things are back to normal.

[Klukie]

1. Why?

[Auggie]

2. Uh, campaign fodder for Gramps & Cramps?

[tekisui]

3. The refineries in the gulf, is what we're told.

Only 9 or 22 are back on track since Hurricane Ike. Most still don't have power. Many places in the Southeast are having trouble. NC, Tennessee, Georgia.

[Klukie]

5. Whoa...

I had no idea...Thanks.

[Subdivisions]

20. Also, 89.2% of Gulf oil production is shut in. Link:

http://www.oe.netl.doe.gov/docs/2008_SitRep_15_Ike_092208_12PM.pdf">Hurricane Ike Situation Report # 15

[supernova]

4. Where are you?

I haven't seen any lines in the Triangle. My station has plenty so far.

[tekisui]

7. Asheville.

It's been hit and miss since Ike, the past two days have been especially bad.

[Lex]

17. OK, nevermind my question below then.

nt

[SeattleGirl]

6. Shades of the 1970's! n/t

[Supersedeas]

30. will the Repigs compare Bush to Carter?

[Catherine Vincent]

8. We had those long lines here before and a few days after Ike (Houston)

But they are back to normal now. What gives?

[tekisui]

9. They tell us that we are "off the main route"

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880922102

Some experts said Asheville’s relative remoteness from the Colonial Pipeline, the main artery for East Coast gasoline supplies, and sparse population compared with major metropolitan areas could be adding to the problem.

The pipeline reopened 9 days ago, albeit at a greatly reduced carrying rate, and some supplies are reaching the gasoline terminals in Spartanburg and Belton, S.C., that supply the mountains.

But some industry officials had as many questions as answers in trying to explain the problems Monday.

“I’ve been communicating with some of the local distributors, and they’re having trouble figuring out why gas isn’t coming to Spartanburg,” said Mack Salley, deputy fire marshal for Buncombe County. “All they know is they’re sending trucks to Spartanburg to get gas and they’re coming back empty.”

Karl Koon, vice president of Asheville Oil Co., said this afternoon that his company is looking for product anywhere it may be available. His company, which supplies five local BP stations as well as private companies, has two fuel tanker trucks, but they’ve been sitting idle for the past two days.

“We’ve actually made trips to Spartanburg and come back empty-handed,” Koon said, adding that they are considering sending a truck as far as North Charleston, S.C., where the terminals have more product. “I can tell you we’re trying to get product anywhere and everywhere, and price is a secondary consideration to actually being able to get product.”

[asjr]

12. Asheville--off the main route? What do

they call Interstate 40 these days? Or have they changed the name. My daughter went to Warren Wilson College in the 90s and Asheville was very easy to get to.

[GreenInNC]

13. Was in Tn. this past weekend

I was in Knoxville this past weekend and they didn't have any shortages plus the gas was $0.60 cheaper than North Carolina.

[WeDidIt]

10. MAN, that reminds me sooooo much of '73 and 'especially 79!!!

Wow. This could cost McCain the South.

[tekisui]

11. A man was registering voters in one of the lines!!!

I thought that was ingenious!

[racaulk]

14. Now THAT is freaking brilliant!!!

Good on him!

:rofl:

[Lex]

21. AWESOME!!!

nt

[TexasObserver]

15. Why isn't Obama there, demanding the administration and oil companies address this?!

This is where Obama's campaign is really bothering me down the stretch. They don't seem to recognize the political opportunity is these current crises, and they sort of plod along, reminding me of the way Kerry failed to close well.

[Virginia Dare]

28. They'll just say we need to drill more..

and people buy that tripe.

[Lex]

16. I'm in Durham NC and I filled up a few minutes ago--no lines

and all pumps open (like 7 or so) at a BP in my neighborhood.

[tekisui]

18. Western NC, Asheville.

[Lex]

19. thanks

nt

[supernova]

22. Does Asheville have a lot of indie stations?

From WRAL:

Some pumps run dry while refineries try to recover from Ike
Pumps run dry as refineries recover from Ike

Posted: Today at 12:44 p.m.
Updated: 51 minutes ago

Raleigh, N.C. — Gasoline refineries damaged by Hurricane Ike 10 days ago haven't returned to full operation, which is causing some Triangle gas stations to run dry.

Nine refineries were still offline Tuesday, causing the pipeline that supplies gas to North Carolina and other states across the Southeast to operate at a lower capacity than normal, officials said.

Independent stations that don't have supply contracts with major distributors are running short on gas because the distributors serve their contractual customers first and don't have much left over, said Bill Weatherspoon, executive director of the North Carolina Petroleum Council.

There are about 7,000 independent stations statewide, but it was unclear Tuesday how many had run out of gas.

full article: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3591926/

[tekisui]

24. We have some, and they were definitely out.

The big ones were very limited in what they had.

One BP station got 1,000 gallons this morning and were out by 10am.

[yodoobo]

23. what part of NC? I didnt have any trouble last night

Pulled into a Shell station and out. There were 8 pumps and I was the only one there.

I'm in raleigh btw.

I'm guessing your photos are in Western NC, as I hear the shortages are moving west to east.

[tekisui]

25. Asheville

Get ready, if they are coming your way, it's horribly inconvenient. Some people freak out over it.

[Faygo Kid]

26. Extraordinary. Keep an eye on this situation. A confluence of disasters.

All this happening at once? Doesn't pass the smell test. We are being prepped for something very wrong.

[BeHereNow]

31. I'm with you- It's got the Leo Strauss touch all over it, doesn't it?

What do the neoCONS call it again?
Creative chaos? Creative destruction?
Where did I put that PNAC document anyway?

BHN

[tekisui]

34. People are nearing panic..

Everyone is calling each other, trying to find gas, when it will get there, etc. People are running out waiting in lines. People are missing work for lack of gas. The gas stations are mad houses.

There are still lots of cars on the roads, though.

[Faygo Kid]

35. Please continue to keep us informed. This is very wrong, and the MSM is not covering it.

Please keep us posted. This one makes no sense at all, but it's obviously happening, anyway. Thanks.

[BeHereNow]

36. Perhaps it is a social experiment. A test run on a control group.

Maybe TPTB want to see what will happen on a large scale.
I put nothing past the bastards behind the curtains.

BHN

[tekisui]

33. Most people around here are just scratching their heads.

Saying things like this is an eye-opener, or just doesn't make sense.

I talked to a Buncombe County Sheriff Deputy just a moment ago, and he couldn't figure it our. He said they have gas running full in Western Tennessee, just 45 minutes East of here. DUers are saying they have gas in Raliegh/Durham area. Just Asheville and WNC seems to be seriously affected.

It doesn't "feel" right to me either. The hurricane caused a run on gas before it hit, and things were pretty much back to normal(some octanes short) until yesterday.

[mmonk]

27. My usual station has some pumps out.

They are waiting for more fuel trucks.

[KamaAina]

29. Tell Keith and/or Rachel!

Something tells me the rest of the M$M won't take interest until it happens in or around NYC, DC or LA...

[ladyVet]

32. Most stations here at least partly out of gas.

I'm in Alamance County, between G'boro and Raleigh, and most stations here have half of their pumps taped/closed off for lack of gas. No lines though, and the prices are coming down. I just filled up in Graham, and that Citgo was out of the top two grades, but had the lower (87?).