Gas panic?

Gas prices are holding here, if you can find gas. $2.62-$2.69gal.
Few stations and many out looking, even at midinght last night it was gridlock due to folks lining up on word that possibly some gas was coming in a few hours.
Totally nuts out here in Katy. I am down to half a tank, just staying home, doing final preparations and getting ready to hunker...but it looks like my future is getting brighter with each model run. :D
 
It's up thirty cents per gallon in Fort Worth this evening. Two days ago it was $2.49. I just filled up at the same station for $2.79. Several cars in line for each pump.

I live right on US 287 just south of Fort Worth. At 7pm, when all the traffic is usually southbound, the northbound traffic is solid cars in both lanes.
 
OIl refineries in the right quad of Rita's forecast path.

Texas
ExxonMobil Refining & Supply Co. (Beaumont @ 348,500 BCD)
Motiva Enterprises LLC (Port Arthur @ 285,000 BCD)
Premcor Refining Group Inc. (Port Arthur @ 255,000 BCD)

Louisiana
Calcasieu Refining Co. (Lake Charles @ 30,000 BCD)
Citgo Petroleum Corp. (Lake Charles @ 324,300 BCD)
ConocoPhillips (Westlake @ 239,400 BCD)

Projected oil & gas production losses (not good, market commentators suggesting at least the possibility of natural gas shortages this winter)
http://hurricane.methaz.org/hurapak/AAL182..._gomex_oil.html

The surge looks REAL ugly here:
ftp://ftp.nhc.noaa.gov/pub/users/surge/r22_bpt.gif
 
some of the shortages at least here in East Texas I think comes from the lemming effect. Some of the folks surely filled up because they thought the price would rise, others might think we'll run out (I mean run out, not just the temporary outage from others running on gas).... but because they simply saw a large crowd at the gas station.

Fear and panic spreads quickly, and it doesn't require word-of-mouth. Like moths drawn to a fire.

I have a suspicion that, while the price may be a little higher, the crowds may actually be a bit less at, say, noon tomorrow, than noon today. We shall see.

Also, something that gets me is the run on bottled water here, especially with most of those people on city water after the utility said even a full power failure would still only reduce the production capacity to a level that is plenty to serve everyone. Well water, or a little MUD, I can understand. But people were getting gallons and gallons and gallons.

It's like people are preparing for a nuclear attack this far inland. Can't say I didn't chuckle at some folks. Needless to say, I'm putting off my grocery shopping until next week.
 
Shannon says that a path up towards Beaumont will do the worst possible damage to the oil infrastructure. I've given up trying to figure out what the market will do, but it's something to watch.

I had the same thought as Morgan -- whatever happened to filling the trusty bathtub? 30 gallons for free. Get a Brita pitcher and you're in business.

Tim
 
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