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Subscribe to RSSLines are long and open gas stations are few and far between in New York and New Jersey, as drivers wait to fill up their tanks. NBC's Katy Tur reports.
Justin Lane / EPA
National Guard troops dispense gasoline in Queens on Saturday.
The gasoline shortage in the New York City area should be over in "a couple more days," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Saturday, urging New Yorkers to be patient even as officials promised free gas only to then add this caveat: first responders first, then the public can line up.
Electrical power and deliveries are coming back online, Bloomberg said at a press conference, but even so "it may take a few more days before you see this additional supply."
Earlier Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that "fuel is on the way" with the Department of Defense deploying five mobile fuel stations to New York City and Long Island, albeit with a 10 gallon limit.
"The good news," Cuomo said of the promised 12 million gallons, "is it's going to be free."
At least 1,000 drivers queued up at one site -- the Freeport Armory in Long Island -- only to be told the gasoline would not arrive for at least eight hours more, one driver said.
"There's just so many people getting very frustrated. People don't know what to do,'' said Lauren Popkoff, a teacher who had been in line for four hours.
The mobile station that opened in Queens was also swamped, NBCNewYork.com reported, with a line of cars stretching 20 blocks.
But the state Division of Military and Naval Affairs later issued an advisory asking the public to stay away from the mobile stations until more fuel is released.
National Guard Col. Richard Goldenberg said Saturday afternoon that people who were already at the distribution sites would not be turned away.
Cuomo added that the reopening of New York Harbor has provided 8 million gallons of fuel and another 28 million will be delivered over the next two days.
Tempers flared as people camped out all night, waiting for their turn at the pump in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. NBC's Tom Costello reports.
A third of the stations in New York City were closed Saturday due to power outages or lack of fuel -- a significant improvement from Friday when two thirds were closed.
When word of free gas spread Saturday, people rushed to the mobile stations.
"I left my coffee on the table and ran out," said Tatiana Gomez of Staten Island, who heard about it on the news while having breakfast.
Her's was the sixth car in line but she still had to wait 2 1/2 hours for the delivery to arrive.
National Guardsmen walked through the crowd, handing out water to those waiting.
"I think since 9/11 we've pulled together as people," Robert Costantino said while in line. "Now, when there's a crisis, we pull together."
Long lines also continued at regular gas stations.
"It's pandemonium out here," said Chris Damon, who was waiting among hundreds, many honking their horns, at a Brooklyn station. "I feel like a victim of Hurricane Katrina. I never thought it could happen here in New York, but it's happened."
Desperate drivers continued to flood north to Connecticut in hopes of finding fuel. Gas lines snaked down surburban side streets as state troopers and local police maintained order and directed the traffic choking U.S. Route 1 , the main artery that runs parallel to Interstate 95 along the coast from New York city to Boston. The backups were mostly confined to stations in Greenwich and Stamford, the first locations across the state line. Gas stations further up the line were operating with little or not waiting.
The availability of fuel north of the city resulted largely because Connecticut dodged two major factors that crimped the flow of gasoline in New York and New Jersey. Many stations in New York City and New Jersey were without power and unable to pump gas.
The closure of New York Harbor – to clear dangerous debris and check navigation buoys – delayed some tanker shipments. Most coastal Connecticut stations, by contrast, had power restored by Saturday and tanker deliveries to coastal Long Island sound gasoline terminals in Bridgeport and New Haven were largely uninterrupted.
Tom Kloza, chief analyst at the Oil Price Information Service, told The Associated Press that drivers seem to fear that stations will be out of gas for a week or more.
"There are some people who need it, but there are a lot of people who are panicking," Kloza said. "There's plenty of fuel. This will be over in days."
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Superstorm Sandy made landfall Monday evening on a destructive and deadly path across the Northeast.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie on Friday ordered gas rationing in 12 counties to begin on Saturday under an "odd-even" system in which motorists with license plates ending in odd numbers would be able to buy gas on odd-numbered days.
Christie said Saturday that he hoped the restrictions would only last "a few days."
This article includes reporting by NBC News' John Schoen, Reuters and The Associated Press.
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- New York Harbor reopens to offer fuel supply
- How to avoid post-storm insurance and repair scams
- Your Sandy photos: Show us the heroes in your life
- Sandy's aftermath: How you can help
- Full NBC News coverage of Sandy aftermath
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Wow that's cool 12 millions gallons of gas for them! Well.. what about the victims of Cuba and Jamaica?? No @!$%#s are given to them because they are black right?
When you are a Liberal Racist you can find fault if they Hung you with a new Rope
Not because they're black, imbecile. Because they are not part of the U.S. You have to take care of your own first. And we do send billions in aid to them. Get your head out the sand.
You dont see mainstream media coverage on them do you? You only care about the east coast because thats where all the buisness is right?
Son can't find work, out of work for two years. Unemployment gone, mowing lawns in neighborhood for under 5.00 per hour. Needs gas to drive to look for work. Where's his free gas?
Dad should step up to the Plate
Free bus pass and some GED training seems logical to me.
Free gas?!!! Teach a man to fish and he'll live a lifetime off food stamps.
Give 'em free gas and they'll go cruz'n with their fat Momma's like 'We have had enough' up above. LOL!
Foiled again.
Jew York City Jews get free gas.
Bet, there's no free gas in New Mexico or Rhoad Island, huh Goyims?
There are more Muslims than Jews in New York City.
@wehavehadeough The Jews run New York no matter of the religious ratio. They also run the U.S because they are money hungry. Nuff Said.
Mr. President, where are you? Where is FEMA? Where are the promised resources? NYC needs more than words, we need help!
FEMA is on site and the President has authorized all he can do. How much is rationed is a State decision. National guard has been sent to work and also there have been barriers removed to allow for fuel to come in. Part of the problem lies in the fact that power is out and the stations cannot get the pumps to work so the demand is high for only a few working stations. Not any consolation if you are in those lines but let's not blur the facts and turn it into a ....Mr. President is not doing enough to make the water recede faster and restore electricity faster so the gas pumps can work. Be fair.....
I can empathize though as I have been there on a many occasion as a native Floridian.
".Mr. President is not doing enough to make the water recede faster and restore electricity faster so the gas pumps can work. Be fair....." When he ran for President Obama said he would lower the ocean levels. As Sandy approached Bill Clinton reminded people that Obama could lower ocean levels.
Obama's biggest critic is approving of the job he is doing right now. Just shut your damn mouths, move on. If you think you can do a better job, run for Prez and let's see how far you get.
why we giving free gas for them i cant get help for my surgery i had done ........they say there no money in state of Michigan but we need help other state its bull
Because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. Same reason one soldier pputs his single life on the line so thousands of others don't have to. Nothing in government should ever be about me.....it should always be about we!
Some amazing replies from some reading between the lines. All the free fuel is doing is giving some relief to the long lines at the pumps. Many have been standing in line a full day for 5-10 gallons. They deserve a little help in any way they can to get the lines off the roads they are blocking. What's your alternative decision? Ignore them?
The only thing that bothers me is that picture of a little girl getting food for her family. Her lazy parents need to get off their butts.
Why are they standing in line for 5-10 gallons of gasoline? Instead of staying in a probably damaged home why not go to a shelter, were there is warm food, beds, medical attention? Doesn't New York have emergency shelters for such disasters as this? Why do they think we - the rest of the country - should give them free gas for their generators??? Here in the midwest we battle tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, and we even have a Democratic governor, but we never got free gas. Give them food, water, blankets, a warm shelter - free gas is just trying to buy votes!
Folks, this is not about republicans or democrats. It's about people in need after a National disaster. Having lost my home in Hurricane Andrew- a category 5 hurricane (before hurricane code houses were the mandated) in South Florida, I can say that standing in line for hours to get a mere gallon of water, hunting for gas, clothes and your furniture blocks away, and not knowing what or where to get food.....is not a pretty sight.
Let's ban together and do what this Country is supposed to do in times like this (UNITE). Have we forgotten....United We Stand!!!
Sadly...many of our American brothers and sisters have forgotten. The poor and those facing tragedy in there lives are viewed as scum beneath the boots by those Americans who relate well to Romney and have little or no conscience.
"and they begged for help , while bush and his incompetent cronies bungled about looking like fools ."
No Mike, they demanded that the fed stay away. Bush declared NO a disaster area before Katrina, so as to speed recovery funds. The federal response to Katrina was swift. But the first line of disaster recovery is the people, the second is local government. Liberals dropped the ball in NO - the welfare mentality citizens didn't help themselves, and the local government didn't do their job.
BTW, gasoline isn't free. The tax payers are paying for that gas.
It is imperative that people educate and prepare themselves and their entire family for an emergency. It is imperative that when your community tells you that you should evacuate, that you do exactly that and not try to out smart a or out “tuff guy” a storm or whatever the emergency is. It is imperative that if you are allowed to “shelter in place”, that you are prepared with enough provisions for your entire family for “AT LEAST 72 hours“; water, food, heat sources, clothing, blankets, etc. Then you need to practice and do a “what if”, to make sure you have everything you need. Emergency Response Teams should be helping people that literally lost everything and not have to worry about those people that are simply very ill prepared and stupid. When you live in areas that you absolutely know there are threats of disasters, then you should assume that those disasters will happen. There is tons of information on the internet and tons of classes that you can take. When my kid was 16 years old I had her CERT certified, because I always assumed that if anything ever happened I would be at work and could not get to her. I wanted her to be able to own an emergency. You will never, ever find a State more prepared for a disaster than Utah!!!! We have not had an earth quake, but we are the most prepared State for any emergency.
It's amazing that with today's infrastructure so at the mercy of storms (past experience shows electrical service is the 1st to go) that something as important as access to fuel doesn't have more backup systems (generators etc). Worst case senario - you can always manually pump the gas from the tanks just like you fill them up - if we had an even worse disaster area there's no reason that couldn't be done to power people's generators etc to keep them fed and warm.
FREE GAS! Vote for me!
WTF? I want my Obama phone, food stamps, welfare without work, and free gas. Don't re-elect this bastard impeach him. What a f.......ing joke. Where the hell in the constitution does it give the Federal government authority to give away 12 million gallons of gas? It's not theirs it's the taxpayers. I want this crap stopped. NOW
Just great now our tax dollars pay for their gasoline, whats next will Obozo claim it as his idea ?
Bloomberg , obama and the majority of our corrupt government need to be in prison. All they do is take from the working class and give it away to those unworthy of breathing oxygen.
And why do you think you are more worthy then the least among us? Anyone who can condem there fellow americans to die from lack of oxygen should perhaps look inside themself to see why they are so worthy of that air themselves. You may think yourself a great man, but you are an awful human being!!
This is that free gas deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz told Congress would pay for the war bout time what took the Republicons so long to give people thair free gas from Iraq.
Yes...I am certain that only Obama democrats are standing in line for that free gas. Geez... WTF is wrong with you people? Some of my fellow americans sound like a bunch of fat cat selfish "what about me" cry baby's! If it takes some free gas from american taxpayers to ease these peoples suffering.......GIVE THEM THE GAS! The government will spend your taxpayer dollars on much more stupid causes this next year regardless of who is elected! Get over yourselves for crying out load. You embarrass yourselves and your country. We have baby's that need taken care of and the only thing some of you are worried about is somebody might get something free. Whatever it takes I say regardless of your party affiliation. Nobody should get left behind..especially in the USA.
on one hand i know the people need help, on the other no one ever cares when us here in the south have no power for weeks from hurricaines...
my biggest feeling is they had a week to prepare...didnt anyone listen?
But they should care and just because they didn't then don't mean that they shouldn't now. It is never too late to do the right thing.
Anyone get free gas after the tornado's in middle America, oh wait a minute, they are all white? Mrs. BO would NEVER go for that!!!!
Christie sells out and kisses Obama's but so NY gets free gas and NJ gets rationing?
I wonder what kind of deal he made for himself?
Christie must have a conscience unlike many in his party. His friends and neighbors are in need and he obviously thinks it is more important to do right by his state then to play the silly little playground games that the republicans like to play. My hats off to him. Nice to see at least one republican with some heart aside from myself in which I am actually register as a republican back when there was such a thing as moderate republicans. Those days have long past since the republican party turned into the tea party cult.
I'm just hoping that we all learn from this and Katrina, even though we are the last superpower we are humbled by the forces of nature. We as individuals need to plan and take action for our own safety and well-being.
take action for our own safety and well-being.
Yeah, shoot all looters in the head..LOL
Imagine how bad it will be when a real disaster happens nation or even world wide...
Finally, finally got that free gas from Iraq that Paul Wolfowitz told Congress would pay for the war bout time the country got that free gas the Republicons were talking about if Iraq was invaded what took them so long.
Best wishes to all the people in the region affected. I'm glad the Feds are doing something to help. Strange how none of them showed up in July when the Midwest got pounded. We were out of electricity and fuel for over a week. I had to drive for an hour then wait in line for two hours to get fuel. Finish reading before piling on: I am glad people are getting help. I'm just curious why FEMA shows up in some places and not others? Three floods and a hurricane-like event in my area of Ohio and not a single FEMA person showed up. Go figure. Parity is a wonderful thing, especially when some of my tax dollars are at work.
Lets see if we can think this "free" gas giveaway through in an orderly manner. The gas isn't free, taxpayers have already paid for it. Funny, now that I think about it I don't remember getting any "free" gas during the numerous hurricanes I've been through here in Texas. I'm guessing this might be a liberal/socialist move to get votes from the undecided. If they are undecided at this late stage of the process then perhaps they shouldn't be allowed to vote, they've obviously had their heads in the sand for to long. Just seems a little funny to me. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Having been through hurricanes I know it's no fun during or after the disaster. Lots of hard work, sweat, and discomfort. Been there, done that, don't really want to go through it again but I'm sure I will since I won't move.
Has anyone noticed "big business" as the Campaigner in Chief likes to say, are giving millions in aid?
obozo keeps giving Millions away to the muslim brotherhood. when will americans wise up and see that our government is abolishing our rights/ taxing us to death , similiar to the reason our foundiing fathers came to America to get away from a Tyrannical government.
ah, screw it , sheeple watch your stupid reality shows, eat more boxes of twinkies and ding dongs and don't forget to charge your hoveround scooters for your trip to the liquor store and donut shop/ greasy Mcdeath burgers
big business? hahaha big profit margins due to all their overseas plants that use child slave labor for pennies a day.
The constant pessimism and negativity that Republicans permeate this country with is nothing short of disgusting. I just can't get on board with that at all. Their brand of leadership is just not appealing whatsoever.
Yes Ferrell, every Democrat in the country is on the government doll. Get over yourself buddy.