Posted on 11/01/2012 9:47:24 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
More than 1,000 New Jersey gas stations are unable to sell fuel due to power outages and delivery problems, according to the head of one of the state's gas station associations.
Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association, which represents 1,500 stations, told us by phone that 75 percent of his members have shut down fueling.
"There's difficulty getting supply from the pipeline, to distribution centers, to the trucks, to the gas stations, and then the final hurdle, getting it into car. So there [are] difficulties along every point."
Many stations don't have power to pump gas. Those with power are pumping fuel until they run out. Although some refineries remain shut down, they still have fuel in storage. But trucks are having trouble making it to the stations because roads remain blocked by trees and flooding.
Additionally, there are more cars on the road since many bus and train lines remain suspended.
Risalvato said none of his clients are gouging.
"There's nobody rationing, when a retailer has gas, pumping until has no more."
Two separate people we talked to today, who otherwise have power, said that gasoline was their main concern, in part because it's fueling generators.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I drove to Queens from the Jersey shore and filled up there.
LOL - yes that is EXACTLY the ticket!
“If I was going to prep big-time, I’d store gasoline at home...at least 100 gallons. Then again, the people we’re seeing in these photos are urbanites. Where would they put such a storage tank?”
When I saw Hurricane Ike coming, I filled five 5-gallon containers, filled the van and both cars. I had about 90 gallons of gas that I could siphon off for any scenario. I drove my most fuel-efficient car across town to work and was one of the few people driving in Houston for the first two days after the rains quit. I never saw traffic so light.
Yep...unfortunately, we are dealing with this madness as we speak...I am one of the lucky ones in that I have power, plenty of supplies and food (guess that AF Academy training was good for something)...and filled both cars on Sunday, so I am good for now...however this is getting ugly..the problem is not the fuel, it’s that stations have no power and can’t pump what they have...
If Bush was still around, the media would have cameras at every station with crying people saying that they couldn’t get their dying mother to the hospital and wondering why Bush wasn’t actually pumping the gas...I am no fan of relying on government to solve problems, but it would seem logical that if FEMA was going to do anything, they might send a few hundred generators to the state to run some of these stations...
If this doesn’t get fixed in a few days, there will be problems because people can’t get anywhere, and I don’t mean Gamestop, I mean doctors, nurses, emergency personnel, municipal services...it’s a little early to over worry, but the potential is there for some problems..Utilities are now in the Monday to Wednesday range of restoring everyone..Stay tuned...if the media actually did their job, this could be an emerging issue over the weekend and into Monday...
So, what’s the best solution to that? After Ike, my generator burned four or five gallons a day, and power was out for 14 days. What’s the best way to store 70 gallons of gas for a crisis?
I was sitting on two full tanks in my cars, but the new vehicles have anti-siphon baffles.
My son had an older truck (no baffles) with a 30 gallon tank that served as our ‘tanker’. That kept us going until the gas stations returned to normal. He is driving something newer now, so I will have to come up with a new game plan.
I was supposed to fly home on 9/11. I had to catch a van with some fellow employees. We stopped twice to fill up with no problems. I made it to the airport in my little city and got in my car to go home. Not enough fuel in the tank to make it to work the next day. I figured I’d fill up on the way home. Gasoline stations out of gas. I finally found one in the country with gas, but people were there filling up 55 gallon drums in the back of their pickups. I asked them what they were doing. “There might not be any gas tomorrow!” I asked them how many pipelines or fuel storage farms had been attacked. I told them it would take more than 30 days to affect things even if the Arabs stopped pumping oil that day....unless everyone panicked. They wouldn’t talk to me anymore. And this is in a part of the country that’s supposed to have rugged individualists.
On top of this, add the fuel needs for all those people without power who bought generators after we lost power for two extended periods of time in 2011. That's what the lines of people with red fuel cans are all about. They're buying fuel for generators, not cars.
You’re right, but I don’t think Christie is the problem here. His comments relate to a state statute that I believe predated his term in office by at least several years (it may have been passed in the aftermath of Katrina).
Dude: Weren’t you on here last Sunday and Monday telling us that all the media coverage before the storm was just “hype?” LOL.
Sorry, you need 5-8 gallons a day to run a 7000 watt gasoline generator. This is what I have at my house in NH. The problem is how much storge capacity do you have? I only can store TWO days worth of gas. I have three gas cans.
We had this same situation twice in the last three years in southern NH. Once was an ice storm, that other was 2’ of wet heavy snow. The last time there were only TWO gas stations in this area of 100,000 people that had electricity to run their pumps. The other 40 gas stations were closed.
At least most of these people have public water supply. I am on a well. No electricty = no water. I also have a wood stove. Unless you have gone for three or four days without power, try not to be too quick to judge :(
You’re right, the statute predates him. But under no circumstances should such a stupid measure be enforced.
PowderMonkey, I was afraid you might say that. My problem is we face these things regularly in Texas, where you have to get by for a week or two and then civilization comes back.
The generator keeps the fridge and freezer running, preserving the food supply. Without it I’m throwing away several hundred dollars worth of food, and having to immediately replace it later. Nice to have functioning lights and ceiling fans. I have at least one air conditioning window unit so we can get some sleep (Texas heat has to be experienced to fully appreciate that!).
I can’t run everything at once, but by turning breakers on and off, I can power lights and outlets in a couple of rooms, run the anerobic septic, filter water, etc.
I have a couple of acres out of town, so my place is where the kids and grandkids bug out TO. Grandkids thought the last one was kinda fun, almost like camping.
So I’m really serious about the gas storage question - can any of you Freepers suggest a good solution?
You and your Prepper Ping List might be interested.
Its great to have a generator, but you need fuel for it to run. I’m in Texas, but I still have family in NJ. Mom went to stay with my brother, who has a generator at my suggestion (because he’s near the shore and needs a sump pump to work no matter what, or his basement floods when you get a lot of rain). When I asked, Mom told me that there was a 5-gallon container...and I told her that I hoped that the power company fixed things in a couple days, or they were going back to the 1850s. She said that my brother was going to get more gas...but by the looks of things, he’d have had to have been lucky to get any extra. Haven’t heard back yet.
All of this says that one must engage the wetware when prepping, or a significant portion of what you want to do will either be impossible or will only work for a while.
People also need to keep in mind that having a working generator in an urban or suburban setting more than a week after the power goes out without being restored. First, it’ll make noise (though there are ways to significantly reduce the range over which it can be heard); but, second, it is almost a sure thing that you’ll have one or two lights on at night - and people can see that from a long distance, especially if it is cloudy. In this particular situation, I don’t see that being much of a problem - running out of fuel is the bigger issue. Nonetheless, people with generators need to consider limiting light and noise (or eliminating it, despite the inconvenience) in order to not have to deal with those that’ll show up wanting some or all of what you have.
Look in a marine supply catalog for a thing called a “gas caddy.” It’s a 28 gallon wheeled polyethylene gas tank. When full it weighs about 200 lb. and is a very impressive object because it swells in the heat from the vapor pressure of the gas. It can also be very entertaining getting it in and out of your vehicle, especially because it’s not much more than a wheeled, high capacity incendiary device. IMHO the best approach is to install a a propane tank at your home and run your generator from it. Full portable gas tanks in large numbers can create serious firee and explosion risks. My reference to a “gas caddy” comes from direct personal experience with one.
Well doesn’t the fact that I was able to come to New Jersey today proof that it was overhyped?
Preppers’ PING!!
A public official who doesn’t enforce the laws of his jurisdiction should either resign or be forcibly removed from office. Gov. Christie doesn’t have the right to selectively enforce the laws of New Jersey, any more than Barack Obama has the right to selectively enforce the laws of the United States of America.
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