Gas Shortage Fuels Fights in Asheville

[G_j]

I drove by this Shell station yesterday, cars were backed up for blocks, there were a lot of police cars.
Also, couldn't get to work today, because I couldn't get gas.

http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/29600639.html

Gas Shortage Fuels Fights

Posted: 8:04 AM Sep 23, 2008

Fights broke out between motorists waiting in long lines for fuel at an Asheville station and managers called police for help.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that three fights occurred Monday at Roadrunner Shell. Station manager Marsha Messer directed lines of cars in her lot and said people are panicked about the shortage.

Some experts say Asheville's distance from the Colonial Pipeline could be adding to the shortage. The pipeline is the main source of East Coast gasoline supplies that were reduced after Hurricane Ike closed oil refineries on the Gulf Coast.

Buncombe County deputy fire marshal Mack Salley said he's talked to local distributors who said they're sending trucks to get gas and they're coming back empty.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reser

[Haole Girl]

1. Things just keep getting better and better

:sarcasm:

[KamaAina]

2. One of your DU neighbors noticed, too

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4068273&mesg_id=4068273

but because Asheville is "off the main route" in more ways than one, it is unlikely that the M$M will pay any attention. Maybe Keith or Rachel might, but that's about it.

[BeHereNow]

3. Plenty of gas for the military vehicles in the Middle East though...

I can't believe Americans aren't rioting in the streets yet.

It's one outrage after another, and still, not a peep.

BHN

[tama]

5. Rioting is boring

The real revolutionaries are allready learning and practicing permaculture gardening in intentional communities. Feel free to join, none that can behave will be excluded.

[asjr]

6. Shrub ois just waiting for riots

so he can declare martial law. I still think that is in the offing.

[BeHereNow]

7. You would not be alone in thinking that something is up...

The chaos has that Leo Strauss feel.
Deliberate chaos and all.

BHN

[G_j]

8. then of all things

later last night there were a number of police road blocks/checks around town.

[BeHereNow]

10. A small scale experiment in preparation for the real thing?

That's a very real possibility in my mind.
Practice on a small control group to
see what they may be up against with a larger
scale of the population?

BHN

[G_j]

11. a progressive/liberal city

with lots of peace activists, surrounded by a sea of conservative bible belters.

[tama]

4. Enjoy

the first taste of the "zombie hordes". There will be plenty more in the coming years.

[Subdivisions]

9. We're in the POo real good now. And it's just the beginning. Yikes! n/t

[G_j]

12. Asheville gas situation the worst in the country

just heard this on the local news.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.motherjones.com/blue_marble_blog/archives/2008/09/9875_asheville_nc_is.html

Asheville, NC is Out of Gas

The city of Asheville, North Carolina and surrounding towns are so short on gas that residents must wait over an hour to fill their tanks, reports the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Many gas stations have closed altogether. Those which remain open have police stationed at the pumps to prevent fights from breaking out—one driver threatened another with a baseball bat. Asheville officials have canceled all nighttime events, and the county is asking that nonessential employees work from home or switch to a four-day week.

The gas crunch began after Hurricanes Gustav and Ike swept through the Gulf Coast, shutting down the oil refineries that supply western North Carolina. Because of its relatively remote location high in the Blue Ridge mountains, county officials estimate that shortages in the Asheville area will continue at least through the end of the month.

Storm recovery efforts, for obvious reasons, usually focus on the places that suffer the worst damage. But as this year's floods and hurricanes have shown us, infrastructure damage in one part of the country can have serious effects on the others. While Asheville's situation is extraordinary, it's likely to become more common as the frequency of severe storms increases.

So whose responsibility is it to deal with this problem? Several people told the Citizen-Times that they think the federal government should step in get the city moving again, perhaps by tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In the long term, a coherent federal disaster protocol might help us to set our priorities (though I'm not holding my breath). Any Asheville readers out there? Let us know how things are going in the comments.

[G_j]

13. delete