Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Running on empty

An adequate flow of gasoline is necessary to get things moving again after a hurricane strike - a challenge in a state with no refineries or pipelines.

In addition to the physical damage and psychological trauma left by a hurricane, there are nagging inconveniences that make it difficult to return to normalcy. One of those, a shortage of gasoline, is slowing the recovery from Hurricane Dennis in the Florida Panhandle and creating a particular hardship for residents.

From Panama City to Pensacola, drivers have found shuttered gas stations or supplies so limited only a single grade of fuel remains. "This is ridiculous," said Heather Kimbrell at a dry Pensacola station, her third unsuccessful attempt to gas up.

The situation is a predictable result of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, given Florida's vulnerable gasoline inventories. There are no refineries or gasoline pipelines in the state. That means nearly all of our fuel comes in on ships and barges.

Most of the major ports of entry are on the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay. (Jacksonville and Port Everglades are key destinations on the east coast.) So when a hurricane enters the gulf, as Dennis did, rough seas keep ships away. The storm shut down refineries in nearby states as well. Meanwhile, the alternatives are inadequate. Tanker trucks can bring gas in from pipelines in Georgia and Alabama, and recently got a Florida Highway Patrol escort to do so, but they can account for only a small portion of our needs, explained Deena Wells, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

At any time, the state has 150-million to 160-million gallons of gasoline in private storage tanks, but given a daily consumption rate of 20-million gallons, unreplenished supplies would last a week at best. Making matters worse, many residents hoard gasoline for cars or generators when a storm approaches. In Pensacola, "there was a spike in demand that may not have been anticipated," Wells said. Power outages can hurt, too, because gas stations need electricity to operate their pumps.

All of which means the gasoline supply should be near the top of state government's to-do list for hurricane preparedness. And now it is. Gov. Jeb Bush invited the companies that supply Florida's gasoline to a recent hurricane briefing. Bush spokesperson Alia Faraj said the governor will work with the oil industry to come up with solutions, though it isn't clear yet what those will be.

After last year's record hurricane season, the state has made progress in getting more people to evacuate before a storm and getting utilities to restore electrical service faster afterward. The quick resumption of gasoline sales is important, too. Many workers can't return to their jobs, and economic recovery is slowed without an adequate flow of gasoline.

The state is at the mercy of an oil industry that needs to put preparedness ahead of profits in this case, find a way to store more gasoline here before a storm and open up additional supply lines when needed.

[Last modified July 23, 2005, 00:54:16]