Widespread gas shortages hit Louisiana after Hurricane Ida

Widespread gas shortages hit parts of Louisiana on Tuesday, with data showing a significant number of gas stations in some cities were running out of fuel by mid-afternoon, as reports made state long queues continued throughout the day 48 hours after the state was hit by the hurricane. Ida.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, reported on Twitter that at 5 p.m. CST, the percentage of gas stations running out of fuel was almost 40% in Baton Rouge and 34.6% in New Orleans. As of 3:30 p.m., he said in an earlier tweet, nearly 13 percent of gas stations across the state were out of fuel.

Several Louisiana residents took to social media to document the situation, with one posting a clip of a long line of cars waiting to refuel at the New Orleans Costco. Fox 8 reported that the line was estimated to be about half a mile long by early afternoon.

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FOX Business received another report of an individual waiting between 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. or so before they could finally get to the Quick Stop Meraux pump outside Chalmette, after using a quarter of a tank of gasoline in line.

Meanwhile, the entire city of New Orleans has been without power since Sunday, when Ida struck and cut power to more than a million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi.

In response to the shortages, the Biden administration said on Tuesday that the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would temporarily lift some regulations in an effort to get gasoline to affected areas more quickly.

Drivers flock to this Costco gas station in Ridgeland, Mississippi on Saturday morning, August 28, 2021, before the storm bands of Hurricane Ida. In addition to filling their vehicles, a number of drivers also filled their gasoline cans with additional fuel. (AP Photo / Rogelio V. Solis) / AP Newsroom)

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a press briefing that the DOT would “expand and amend an emergency declaration that provides temporary flexibility over the number of hours a driver will take. truck can drive supplies nationwide to goods that support the covid-19 response and now include gasoline and other types of fuel, building materials, medical supplies, and food.

She said the EPA had “approved emergency fuel waivers for Louisiana and Mississippi, immediately affected, which will increase the supply of gasoline that can be sold in those two states and increase availability at that time. critical”.