Concerned About Gas Shortage In Oct!!

[WHIT1]

is anyone concerned about a possible gas shortage in their up coming trips? i keep have flash backs to the time when there was a gas shortage and the long lines at the pumps. what are our chances of this happening,especially for the month of oct. that is when my trip is and i feel like i will have to reorganize things like maybe not get a rental. need some imput please.

 

[Feralpeg]

While I don't think it will last, we are currently having a problem in Orlando. Many stations are out of gas. I went this morning to the Hess station across from DTD and waited in line for 10 minutes. My sister tried to get gas this afternoon along Highway 50. She said the lines were about 30 cars deep at Sam's Club. I really think it is an over reaction. This happened last year following Charley, but only lasted a couple of days. I hope that is true this time. I paid $2.89 a gallon.

 

[DisneyWisher]

is anyone concerned about a possible gas shortage in their up coming trips? i keep have flash backs to the time when there was a gas shortage and the long lines at the pumps. what are our chances of this happening,especially for the month of oct. that is when my trip is and i feel like i will have to reorganize things like maybe not get a rental. need some imput please.

Though I was a child in the 70's wasn't that shortage about not receiving mid-east oil? I remember going with mother to sit in line at the gas station. We enjoyed it, she allowed me to bring a friend (she didn't want to go alone). This "shortage" is not the case. I believe this "shortage" is about people wanting to get gas before the price rose overnight and because some of the refineries were damage because of Katrina. But the damage areas are not the only areas that produce gas. The gasoline and oil companies in the United States are not going to shut down. They will figure out ways of fixing the damage and getting everything back on track. Why? Because otherwise they lose money. I think this shortage is short term. But everyone can do their part to conserve gas. Hopefully it will get some scientist in gear to discover a new form to energy. We can send someone to outerspace, talk to people across the globe, and type on the internet for all to read but we can't figure out something other than oil? I just don't buy it. It all comes down to a bottom line. Imagine if we could use lightning as a form of electricty? But lightning is free and endless supply, not much profit there except to the people who develope the technology. Ok, I'm dreaming but when dreaming "Dream Big".

I wish I had my '78 Rabbit. It was a diesel and got 50 mpg. Those were the days.

 

[jwfla422]

I was more worried yesterday when we were leaving to drive home from Disney to South FL. It would be nice to be stuck in WDW but not with nowhere to stay.

When we left to go to WDW on Sunday many of the gas stations in our area were already out of gas due to Katrina passing through our area. After last summer, everytime there is a hurricane the stations run out of gas and then the power outages carry it through afterwards. We have a station down the street that has been out of gas for more than a week!

Hopefully some of this will calm down by next month. Let's hope for the best or we will be canceling our Oct. trip

 

[bonnielynn]

While I don't think it will last, we are currently having a problem in Orlando. Many stations are out of gas. I went this morning to the Hess station across from DTD and waited in line for 10 minutes. My sister tried to get gas this afternoon along Highway 50. She said the lines were about 30 cars deep at Sam's Club. I really think it is an over reaction. This happened last year following Charley, but only lasted a couple of days. I hope that is true this time. I paid $2.89 a gallon.

I live in Maryland and we dont have lines, but gas prices up to $3.69 a gallon for regular.. go figure!!

 

[Skylarr29]

From what I have heard on the news and on cnn etc. that there is no shortage. The prices are rising and people are just over reacting due to hurricanes etc. I don't think there will be any problems in oct and I think everything will settle down in the following weeks. I am also in south florida and I haven't experienced any stations without gas in my immediate area all though the prices are crazy.

 

[sabrinadv1]

I actually work for a gas transportation company in south east Alabama. Gas prices actually are going down as of today after going up for a few days. There is gas but it is being rationed out because everyone is in tizzy. There maybe a small lag in the pipe lines because of Katrina, but we are by no means out of gas. I know people are panicking because they think there is, but in reality that is just making it worse. Each company is only alocated so much gas per day, week, month etc. normally even without all of this going on. When sales jump up like this it throws everything off balance. Companies can't pull enough gas to keep up. One of the best places to get gas is at Wal-mart. They actually own their own refineries and terminals(where the pipe lines come in and the trucks load at) they will usually have gas when noone else does. Loads that usually take one or two hours to run are taking six and seven because the terminals are so backed up trying to keep up with demand. The prices have gone up some because of the hurricane but alot of it now is because they are trying to slow people down so everyone can get caught up.

 

[nhpooh]

While I don't think it will last, we are currently having a problem in Orlando. Many stations are out of gas. I went this morning to the Hess station across from DTD and waited in line for 10 minutes. My sister tried to get gas this afternoon along Highway 50. She said the lines were about 30 cars deep at Sam's Club. I really think it is an over reaction. This happened last year following Charley, but only lasted a couple of days. I hope that is true this time. I paid $2.89 a gallon.

Are gas is $3.39/gal and still rising. Hope when we get down there in about a week everything is ok. We do have a rental car, and I was planning on traveling to North Port to visit some friends that moved there last year.

 

[rcraw45425]

We live 90 miles south of Atlanta, gas went from $2.61 on Monday for Amoco regular to $3.11 today. There was actually a station south of where we live here that jacked his prices to $5 for regular, $6 for mid grade and $7 for premium. We had one of the shortage rumors around 4pm yesterday, when I picked up my kids at school yesterday it was $2.89 a gallon, $3.11 by this morning by the school. Gov. has passed a special order dealing with gouging, $5K for gouging a "regular" person, $15K if it's a senior citizen! Hope that they get this guy!

 

[WHIT1]

thanks alot for the input but i am now staying the whole time at pop instead of 1 day. no flames please but i had a great view and room at bw planned. i canceled the rental and will use the magic express. don't get me wrong i would have liked to experience these things but not this trip. i am going to celebrate my bd and wanted a cake but no car and i don't know if they deliver to pop. but i will try to find out. : but the upside is if mother nature is good while i am there i will be thankful for that.

 

[Msslaydbug]

Yikes we leave in 14 days - I hope there is no problem when we are there. We will have a rental car as well.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Most of this does seem to be "panic" buying--an effort to save a few bucks on one last tankful. Sort of "self-inflicted" shortage..with the media only too happy to show long lines at any gas station they can find.
From all I've heard so far, any shortage is short-term, due ONLY to immediate pipeline damage.
Price, of course, is a different matter altogether. My guess is that when gas is $4-$5 a gallon, there will be PLENTY to go around.

 

[rcraw45425]

I agree Uncle Romulus, Price isn't as much of a concern for me, it's availability. As some of the previous posters have said, I don't want to get there the first of October only to find there is no gas to get me back home.

 

[#1 TITANS FAN]

I'd keep the rental and go with the prepay fuel option; that's what I'm doing for my 9-24 trip. You know that the big rental companies will have access to gas; no gas and they're not doing any business, I just don't see that happening.

 

[umaangel00]

I honestly can not believe how this is getting out of control. There isn't a shortage of gas. The media is just portraying it like there is. That way the public will panic and go out and buy gas. That is the only reason why stations are running out of gas. Not because of the hurricane or a shortage. Because people are panicing.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We aren't driving to Disney, but I have been thinking about how things might be messed up in October.

There IS gasoline, but there is a delivery problem. OK, fine. So what if there isn't enough jet fuel where it is needed? That could cause huge flight delays, and that always causes a ripple effect, even if delays are only in one region.

We are planning to use Disney buses for everything, so if fuel is hard to find or prohibitively expensive I can see there being fewer buses running.

If Disney suppliers are having trouble getting through then some things typically available might not be. I am thinking mostly in terms of menu items, but I am sure there are other things.

Yes, these things would all be absolute WORST CASE. But as long as I have already thought of them then I won't be caught off guard if any of these prove to be true!

Happy thoughts, everybody! Hopefully three states with damage can't derail the other 45 contiguous states!

 

[civileng68]

I really think it is an over reaction. This happened last year following Charley, but only lasted a couple of days. I hope that is true this time. I paid $2.89 a gallon.

Well this is MUCH different. This isnt about price now. Now it's about quantity. While after Charlie it was a problem for less than a week. This will be different.

Over 50% of the US's oil come from the Gulf of Mexico and the oil platforms there. While Charlie damaged some of them, the platforms had power and were running within days after the storm.

This is much different. The Platforms are heavily damaged and completely out of commission right now. they have no power still and they dont even know when they will get it.

While I think it's a "slight" overreaction, I think many will be surprised that this may be the norm for at least 2 months.

This morning I talked to a guy with Exxon who was transferring fuel from a fuel truck to the gas station. He mentioned that he thinks this will last for a little while unfortunately.

This is much different than the 70's shorteage when we were short on Mideast Oil. This is all about domestic oil, which is scary, because now, if the MidEast oil prices rise due to demand, we wont be able to control the cost, unlike in the 70's when the lowering of domestic oil could reduce the burden, somewhat of the mideast oil.

Hopefully we get it solved soon. Makes you think we should really start looking for alternative means of fuel and not rely so much on international oil since as a country, we are so dependent upon it.

BREAK OUT THE HYDROGEN CARS!

 

[chas]

Sorry if I sound stupid but why are you running out of gas in the US? Is it because of the hurricane?

 

[umaangel00]

We are not running out of gas! Read the news people. 23 countries are releasing 60 million barrels of oil and gas to us and Bush released another 30 million from the federal reserve. We had plenty of gas to begin with. THe only problem was GETTING it to the gas stations.

 

[Feralpeg]

This afternoon, there is still regular gas available at the Hess station across from DTD. It is $3.00 a gallon. They are out of premium and diesel.