The greater majority of the unavailability of gasoline is due to a lack of power rather than a shortage of the gasoline. I live in NJ and 2 days after the storm I travelled just 10 mikes to an area with power and spent all of 10 minutes in line before filling up.
In areas which were devastated such as Seaside, Long Beach Island and Atlantic City there is a problem getting to the gas stations because of roadway debris. In most areas it is simply no power to operate the pumps.
Why don't the gas stations have generators that draw on their big tanks and power their pumps? The only excuse I can think of is that the added cost would either cut into their narrow profit margin or require them to raise gas prices above their non-generator competition. I don't want a government mandate, but how about cutting a penny or so off the state or federal gas taxes for generator backed up stations??? Depending on the size of the cut you'd either get just enough generator for the pumps and cash register or generators large enough to power their minimarts, etc.