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Why use aircraft when we have these large flat things called Interstate highways that tanker trucks drive on (to paraphrase Obama)?

Ports that tanker ships dock at?

The problem is not transportation, it is lack of will power & organization and a surplus of bureaucracy.

Were the fuel terminals destroyed by Sandy?

(I don’t have TV, so I’ve not seen the details of the damages)

BTW Where we lived in Belize was close to the Mexican border. Gas is US $6+ in Belize and about $3.35 in Mexico. Lots of people purchase gas in Mexico, return to Belize and sell it from their back yards for $4 to $5 a gallon. 5 gallon buckets with built in spouts & nozzles are the measuring & delivery devices.

When I was in High School, guys would rent a Ryder stake truck, go out into the Georgia countryside and buy a farmer’s field full of watermelons. They’d then drive to NYC or NJ on Friday night, pull into Queens or someplace similar and sell watermelons from the back of the truck.

After truck rental costs, fuel, meals, and buying the watermelons, they still cleared several hundred dollars for the weekend trip. Good money back in the mid 1960’s in Georgia. I’m surprised that there are not a lot of entrepreneurs in states near NYC that are not doing the same right now with food, water, gas, generators, etc.

Why use aircraft when we have these large flat things called Interstate highways that tanker trucks drive on (to paraphrase Obama)?

When you have a major disaster and disruption,one of the biggest problems is keeping the roads clear and moving, especially when vehicles are running out of fuel.

During Snow-mageddon in January 2011, it took me 7 hours to drive about 15 miles from Old Town Alexandria to Fairfax, Virginia. It wasn't for lack of roads, but because of all the cars that ran out of gas blocking the roads or were abandoned by their drivers.

Ports that tanker ships dock at?

Ships that would normally be delivering crude oil or gasoline to New York had to EVACUATE THE "AREA" (pretty much the entire Western Atlantic) to avoid being destroyed in the hurricane. So normal shipping schedules are disrupted, the ships were as far away from the East Seabord as they could dash, and it takes time for them to come back.

Then at least half a dozen refineries were shut down in the North East. So the refineries are not making gasoline.

Were the fuel terminals destroyed by Sandy?

Almost certainly yes. Not beyond repair. But they must be carefully inspected and certified safe before any insurance company is going to allow an insured tanker to pull up to a terminal that was just clobbered by a hurricane.