Gas Availablity

[SWharton]

We are getting ready to leave on a long trip in 2 weeks or so. We are planning to wander to Livingston to become Texans. Is there any problem with gas unavailability? We read of lines in Dallas. If necessary we can delay our trip until gas is more readily available. We are in VA and prices jumped .30 per gal but so far that is the only affect.

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, SWharton said:

We are planning to wander to Livingston to become Texans. Is there any problem with gas unavailability?

There could be some fuel issues, but at yet there are lines at some stations in this area but as of yesterday, no stations were out in the Tyler area but our neighbor drove home from DFW airport to east TX and he saw several stations in the greater Dallas area with 0.00 posted on the price sign, to indicate no fuel. The more likely problem you will have if you come now is that officials are not allowing just anyone to travel into those areas. While Livingston didn't experience the disastrous flooding, they are inside of the zone that did and all of those areas are presently under very controlled access and you are not allowed to just drive in. We have been working with a group who will be sending in a team with supplies and workers to help in the recovery and they have been told to hold in place here until released. It is important to understand that even though the rain has stopped, the flooding is far from over and in some cases is still getting worse due to necessary releases of water from threatened dams. If I were you, I would not start to travel this direction until you get an "all clear" from the people at Rainbow's End, once the office is open again.

2 hours ago, SWharton said:

We are in VA and prices jumped .30 per gal but so far that is the only affect.

Here in east TX the price has only risen about 20¢ but will likely go higher. Half of that increase was between 10 am and 2 pm, yesterday. The news last night said that there is ample fuel in storage to cover the needs until the refineries begin to come back online, but the problem is transportation to get it from the tanks to the stations. They say that much of the issue in areas away from the flooding is people panicking and hoarding. 

[rynosback]

Double post.  Went to edit and it posted a duplicate post????

[rynosback]

Invest in the oil company's at least for this quarter. As they are going to have HUGE profits. You have to love how stations are raising the price on fuel they have not even received. I bet they might even raise them each day, like they did a couple of years ago.

I would think think that there is a lot of fuel sitting in reserves.  I mean if we were really going to run out of fuel, the trucking, airlines and all of us due to these 2 would be in trouble.

[SWharton]

I didn't realize there was a zone where travel was restricted. Nothing has been mentioned on TV nor by my daughter who lives in Houston. Do you know a website where I can check the status of an area? The Escapees office is open again but there has been no email about travel restrictions to Livingston. 

[SWharton]

I just checked on TXDOT and on the Escapees site, nothing is mentioned about travel restricted areas. I emailed HQ.

[coachmac9]

It is all clear to travel to Livingston, fixing to head that way myself. Just talked to the police chief and things are slowly getting back to normal down that way now. South of Livingston going toward Beaumont is definitely NOT suggested.

[coachmac9]

Not sure how you are planning to come to Livingston but would definitely suggest a route that would take you way north of the affected area and then head south on 59...you can hit 59 in Texarkanna and go south from there. I know there are plenty of gas stations with gasoline in the Texarkanna area if that helps any.

[Kirk W]

I'm not sure how it is being managed, but I know people on a disaster assistance team from churches here were told to hold in place until Monday morning and then to stop in Jacksonville for briefing and to get vehicle passes in order to proceed into the area of Orange. I really don't know where the roads are blocked or have check points. Since Jacksonville is between us and Livingston, I thought that it might impact Livingston traffic, but I don't know for sure as we are doing as the governor has requested and staying out of those areas. While I have not seen Polk Co. on any of the disaster lists, there are adjacent counties on that list. I think that it would be proper to give things some time before we travel into that part of Texas. I have been helping to collect items and money for the effort, but at my age feel it is probably better to leave the on site activity to younger folks. I did my last disaster team work 3 years ago after a tornado. It seems that my 70+ years have lowered my stamina. 

[rynosback]

I just saw on the news that some part of TX had gas stations that were out of fuel.  In my area, WV, diesel fuel has gone up $.30 in less then 36 hours.  And I do not think they have received a tank of fuel.   I heard that prices could even go up another $.30 soon.

[Biker56]

Here in IL. I filled the toad up with premium one week ago today. Today it is 0.16¢ higher.
But that may be because of it being Labor Day weekend.

Diesel is 0.13¢ more then what I paid in a May fill up.

Right now my next diesel fill up will be in KY on 9/19 and it is now $2.57 there.
On 8/24 it was $2.40 there.

[coachmac9]

Made the trip from Dallas to Texarkanna and then down 59 to Livingston yesterday and last night and here is what we observed and experienced..no gas "shortage" just gas going up as we progressed south. In Texarkanna you could still find it around 2.20 a gallon. From there going south on 59 the price steadily rose to around 2.40 - 2.60 (and a couple of places at 2.90-3.00) but no lines and only a couple of places that had sold out of diesel...my Gas Buddy wasn't much help because it was changing as we went along...hope this helps! I am going to talk to a some of the folks heading up the disaster effort today and I will post if anything changes.

[Ronbo]

While there may not be a fuel shortage, there is a fuel supply problem. Many of the storage tanks are in flooded areas and can not be accessed u till the water recedes. Roads also can not be used in many of the areas. There is fuel there, just not in the tanks at the service stations. I am near Plainview and diesel has gone up .25 I. The past week. I went ahead and filled up as I believe it will raise much more before it comes down.

[Kirk W]

Love's in Van,TX was at $2.459 for gas and $2.519 for diesel today at about 2 pm. A neighbor said that Murphy/Walmart in Lindale was out of fuel yesterday at about noon. 

[Five Wood]

In Kerrville getting fuel has become a problem the last two days.  In town early today and I would say 80% of the stations that I saw had no gas or diesel.  When I headed home I saw no stations that had fuel.  The stations by the highway had fuel but very long lines.

[SWharton]

We are going to defer leaving for about 2 weeks. That way Irma has gone by also. By then I think most of the gas should be back to semi-normal(I hope).

We will drive on the top half of the tank just to be sure.

[Kirk W]

2 minutes ago, SWharton said:

We are going to defer leaving for about 2 weeks.

A very good decision. 

[coachmac9]

6 minutes ago, SWharton said:

We are going to defer leaving for about 2 weeks. That way Irma has gone by also. By then I think most of the gas should be back to semi-normal(I hope).

We will drive on the top half of the tank just to be sure.

Definitely a good call!!

 

[coachmac9]

Just a quick up-date on our return trip north...heading south on 59 from Lufkin to Linden out of gas but from Linden north to Texarkanna supply was good and prices had dropped down to the 2.30 range...and I now remember one of the things I don't miss about living in Livingston...those god awful "love bugs"...had to stop three times on the way up to Texarkanna to clean my windshield and scrape them off the grill and bumper!!!!! Just awful critters!!!!

[SWharton]

I saw on the news that a Baytown refinery came partly on line today and the some pipeline was open again.

[mptjelgin]

52 minutes ago, coachmac9 said:

...and I now remember one of the things I don't miss about living in Livingston...those god awful "love bugs"...had to stop three times on the way up to Texarkanna to clean my windshield and scrape them off the grill and bumper!!!!! Just awful critters!!!!

Those things are awful. My wife and I were travelling through the area one night years ago and were stopping in every small town hoping to find a hose to wash the windshield off with. Most of the gas stations were closed, but many left their water on. Thank goodness!!

[SWharton]

Love bugs, June bugs and humidity......all horrible.............

[coachmac9]

I suffered through 20+ years of those critters and they are absolutely awful...if you don't get them off the painted parts of your vehicle pretty quickly and let them dry on, when you DO take them off the paint will come off with the bug!!! Something about the acid in their bodies being very strong...I don't know...I do know they taste awful also, I found that out when I rode motorcycles and ate several of them!!! Also nothing else will eat them, spiders, birds, nothing!!!!! Just happy they don't bite or sting!!!!!