Hang on! More gas is coming

Gas tankers replenishing local service stations with fuel have been few and far between the past few weeks. With oil refineries along the Gulf Coast coming back on line, experts expect the crisis to end soon. Local motorists welcomed the sight of fuel tankers to the area Thursday, giving them a brief reprieve from the gas shortage gripping the Southeast.

For much of the week plastic bags covered pumps at most Cherokee County gas stations, drained by drivers hoping to fill their tanks before supplies ran out.

"It's getting ridiculous to have to go from station to station for gas," said local resident Morris Colvin. "But right now this is what we have to do in order to get from work to home each day."

Most oil refineries along the Gulf Coast are making fuel at reduced levels after being shut down due to hurricanes Gustav and Ike. A large portion of the Southeast is dependent on gas from those facilities.

With refineries shut down, motorists sat in long lines or even drove long distances for fuel. Large population areas like Charlotte, Atlanta and western North Carolina were hit particularly hard, with residents sometimes going over county and state lines to fill up.

But according to AAA Carolinas President and CEO David E. Parsons, things should soon return to normal.

"It will still take a week or more for the Southeast to receive larger shipments of gasoline through the pipeline and sporadic gasoline outages and shortages may continue from time to time," Parsons said. "Good news for motorists is increased supplies of gasoline are on the way."

For Shelby, N.C., resident Irvin Samuels, the end of the current fuel crisis is encouraging news.

"I sometimes cross the border for work, so gas is something I definitely need," Samuels said. "I'm glad this is close to being over."

Parsons is urging motorists to be patient and exercise control and restraint in gas lines.

"Avoid panic pumping, or filling up and topping off your tanks when it's not necessary, because that will continue the run on already very limited gas supplies," he said.

While gas availability remains sketchy, prices locally have remained steady in recent weeks, hovering around the state average of $3.80 per gallon. The national average is $3.64.