Posted on 10/31/2012 4:08:16 PM PDT by Hojczyk
Drivers and homeowners scrambled to secure fuel for their cars and generators in the U.S. Northeast on Wednesday as storm-hit gasoline stations started to run dry.
More than half of all gasoline service stations in the New York City area and New Jersey were shut because of depleted fuel supplies and power outages, frustrating attempts to restore normal life, industry officials said.
Reports of long lines, dark stations and empty tanks circulated across the region. Some station owners were unable to pump fuel due to a lack of power, while others quickly ran their tanks dry because of increased demand and logistical problems in delivering fresh supplies.
The lack of working gasoline stations is likely to compound travel problems in the region, with the New York City subway system down until at least Thursday and overland rail and bus services severely disrupted.
Homeowners and businesses relying on back-up generators during the power cuts, including many Wall Street banks in lower Manhattan, may also run short of fuel.
"I don't have any lights and need this gasoline for my generator," said Abdul Rahim Anwar at a Getty service station in Gowanus, Brooklyn, as he put two full jerry cans into his trunk.
Tempers flared as a queue of at least 30 cars spilled down the street, with drivers blaring horns, shouting and getting out of their cars. Pump attendant Nadim Amid said the station had already run out of regular gasoline and only had a tiny amount of super unleaded and diesel left.
One driver, a doctor who asked not to be named, said she had driven all the way across New York City from New Jersey, where half of all businesses and homes are still without power.
(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...
This will certainly become a case study for prepping. Not many people can just buy land out in the country where they can grow their own food. They are in the city because that is where they work. This is the more relistic prepping scenario.
Propane is even better. Tanks can be buried, no transfer or pumping required, and you can also run your propane furnace, gas logs, stove, etc off it if need be.
Plus propane absolutely does not degrade, diesel will grow stuff if not treated at regular intervals, and propane isn’t prone to picking up water.
Yep, stocked with that, too. 100 gal LPG tank outside house for water heater/fireplace and many small tanks, but hard to keep track of all the hose adapters and things over the years.
The one time I had to make an adapter was when the big tank ran out LOL and I had to run the house off small tanks. My truck is equipped with all this stuff also.
As far as the diesel, I do have a spare water-removing-filter for the truck and an almost unused one in it. I know you can use a bactricide on the diesel but then it tends to clog up the filters. But I guess that is better than plugging up the injectors?
I’m not going to try to post anymore tonight. Too many timeouts.
Saw an interview with a guy in NYC and he whined there was no ice and he had perishables that would go bad quickly without it.
Now, if that exchange had happened in FL, the networks would have been all over it and how BUSH let those people done.
Waiting to see what happens over the next few days ...
Thanks , Hank Hill. Lol
I’d pay extra for a natural gas generator hooked up to my natural gas lines here at my house.
I’d pay extra for a natural gas generator hooked up to my natural gas lines here at my house.
Funny you should mention the epa just wait until the regulations come out against rebuilding in storm damaged areas
Funny you should mention the epa just wait until the regulations come out against rebuilding in storm damaged areas
Roger that.
I have a 100 gallon propane tank for my 15KW generator. That usually lasts for 48 hours.
Power outages with Irene and the "halloween snow" of 2011 were just under 48 hours.
Only 5 hours 15 minutes with Sandy.
That's what I did. $1600 for a ChiCom 6.5 KW.
Lost power for 6 days after Irene. It sucked. Luckily I'd filled a barrel with water for the toilets. Without it we'd have had to move in with family that had juice.
This storm the power blipped a few times but held on. I can hear generators across the valley that had power last time but drew the short straw during this storm.
I feel a lot better with 55 gal. of diesel for longevity and safety.
You should be able to have a nat gas line set up for a genset. Many commercial building emergency generators are done this way, and it isn’t unusual to have an outdoor grill tied into the gas line, so a genset, small or large would be no different.
Local code may not allow, but.......
As I posted yesterday when people thought Obama would ride in like a knight on a white horse and everybody would adore him and he’d win votes for handling the situation well.
I’m a veteran many storms (60 year old native Floridian) and know that it only takes a day or two for people to start complaining and become disgruntled with the situation and the blame starts to fly and it’s usually directed at the government.
Yes it is possible to have a generator that runs on natural gas, We considered it after our electricity was off for over 2 weeks after hurricane Ike 4 years ago. We may do it before next hurricane season. That would be so much better than gasoline or diesel.
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