Widespread gas shortages hit Louisiana after Hurricane Ida

Team Rubicon joins Hurricane Ida rescue efforts

Team Rubicon deputy director of operations William Porter discusses helping those in need following Hurricane Ida. 

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

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, reported on Twitter that as of 5 p.m. CST, the percentage of gas stations that had run out of fuel was nearly 40% in Baton Rouge and 34.6% in New Orleans. As of 3:30 p.m., he said in an earlier tweet, almost 13% of the gas stations in the entire 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 fuel up at the New Orleans Costco. Fox 8 reported that the line was estimated to be around a half-mile long in the early afternoon.

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FOX Business received another report of an individual waiting from around11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. before they were able to finally get to the pump at the Meraux Quick Stop outside Chalmette, after using up a quarter tank of gas while in line.

Meanwhile, the entire city of New Orleans has been without electricity since Sunday, when Ida hit and took out power to more than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi.

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

Drivers flock to this Costco gas station in Ridgeland, Miss., Saturday morning, Aug. 28, 2021, in advance of the storm bands from Hurricane Ida. In addition to filling their vehicles, a number of drivers also filled their gas cans with extra fuel.  (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) / AP Newsroom)

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a media briefing that the DOT would "extend and amend an emergency declaration that offers temporary flexibility to how many hours a truck driver can drive the supplies nationally to goods that support the covid-19 response and will now include gasoline and other types of fuel, building materials, medical supplies and food." 

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

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