Posted on 03/17/2011 5:21:22 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Bureaucracy, hoarding gum up fuel delivery
The Yomiuri Shimbun
A shortage of fuel is hampering the shipment of urgently needed disaster aid to stricken regions, and while damage from last week's earthquake and tsunami is playing a major role in the problem, rigid government regulations are also slowing down the process.
Supply is not the problem, as primary oil distributors are reportedly working around the clock and the government has urged the private sector to release stockpiles. But still, many consumers even in unaffected areas have rushed to fill their gas tanks and scoop up other fuel.
/snip
"We have plenty of gas. The problem is moving it," said a senior official of the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren).
Immediately after the earthquake last week, the Tohoku and Joban expressways--vital access channels to the disaster sites--were only open to police, Self-Defense Forces and emergency vehicles carrying water, food and other needed aid.
Tanker trucks carrying gas, light oil, heating oil and other essential fuel have been able to be certified as emergency vehicles by the police since Sunday. But many transport companies were not properly notified, meaning some trucks unnecessarily took gridlocked national roads or gave up on reaching the disaster region entirely. Some trucking companies have complained of difficulty getting pass permits.
(Excerpt) Read more at yomiuri.co.jp ...
P!
That is why you stay prepared before the disaster, you have plenty and others can be helped rather than and you are in a position to help others too.
Makes a prime example of why prepper’s prep.
In the short term, there is gasoline available in all the stricken areas.
Each auto, and there are tens of thousands, have at least 5-10 gallons on board. Just spend some time draining the tanks of the destroyed cars. The dangers are minimal since most of the tanks are plastic.
A cordless drill, plastic tubing, and a gas can will keep one supplied for quite a while.
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