Street Beat: Southeastern Gas Crisis

Hurricane damage to oil refineries in Texas and Louisiana has led to one of the worst gas shortages in recent memory in the southeastern US. Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas have been hit hardest – the region depends heavily on gas pumped through pipelines from Texas and Louisiana. At one point in North Carolina last week, only one out of seven gas stations was open, and prices rose to 3 dollars and 95 cents per gallon – the fourth highest prices in the country. As panic swept much of the region, provoked in part by news coverage of the "crisis", many who could, stockpiled gas. Others were left with nothing. States responded with different strategies: South Carolina restricted non-essential travel by government employees, and North Carolina officials made arrangements to truck in fuel. At the same time in Georgia, drivers pumped with no restrictions, even as supplies dwindled and stations shut down. In most Southeastern states, the gas shortage eased by late last week, when power was restored to oil facilities that had lost it during the storms. But many questions remain. Should government and industry have done more to prevent disruptions in fuel supplies? And what will happen next time oil refineries are damaged and gas stops pumping? From Asheville, North Carolina, Evan Scott and  Puck Lo bring us this Street Beat segment.

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