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Written by Mickey Bryant
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008 17:45 |
Ike spike Gas prices in region falling after storm jitters create shortages, send costs through the roof
By Dee Ann Campbell
Sun-Advocate Editor
BUTLER – “People don’t need to panic,” said Butch Harris of GOC, Ltd. in Butler. “We don’t foresee it going higher.”
When Hurricane Ike slammed into the coast of Texas on Friday – the second storm to hit the Gulf Coast in as many weeks — its impact was far-reaching, not only causing destruction along the Gulf Coast, but reaching into the pocketbooks of gasoline consumers across the country. The storm caused an interruption in gas availability and a spike in prices that has left consumers wondering where to find gas and how much they’ll have to pay for it when they find it.
But according to Harris — whose employer GOC, Ltd. operates stations in Choctaw and surrounding areas of West Alabama and into East Mississippi — the current crisis will hopefully be short-lived. Consumers will, for now, have to put up with somewhat higher prices and diminished availability.
“Our biggest concern is having enough for our customers,” Harris told the Sun-Advocate on Monday. “They may end up having to buy premium. Right now, we’re having trouble getting the product. We attempted to purchase five loads yesterday, but only got one.”
James Williams of McLemore Distributors, Inc (MDI) in Silas told the Sun-Advocate that his company was not seeing the same availability problems because they had taken advantage of an opportunity to purchase quantities of gas before the storm.
“We had the opportunity and went ahead and bought it,” he said. “But some people have called us from Mississippi and they can’t get any gas. They don’t know when they’ll get it.”
Over the weekend, gas prices hit all-time highs in some areas of the country, and limited supplies caused shut-downs of stations in some areas and rationing of gas in others. News reports on Saturday listed prices at or above $5 per gallon in areas of Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina, and as high as $8 per gallon in parts of Arkansas.
On Monday, local gas prices varied slightly from location to location, with some topping $4 per gallon. In Butler, Dixie® Gas posted the lowest prices for regular unleaded, at $3.67. Super Stop (Cefco®) offered regular gasoline at $3.79.
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