万花筒 2008-10-03&10-04 没油可用？（在线收听）

In many parts of the country you not, may not realize it, but there is a serious gas shortage in the southeastern United States. And in many cities, and towns, they are still running on empty.

Hurricanes Ike and Gustav causing fuel shortages, and forcing some gas stations to shut down, there are lines everywhere and that’s left folks from Atlanta to Nashville, to Memphis and all around, waiting in line after line trying to fill up their tanks and in many cases people are not able to do it. And experts are saying panic buying is making the shortage even worse.

In other words, Jonathan Serrie, live in Atlanta, I’m told people are coming to the gas stations and filling up, and then filling up gas cans in addition which makes them run out even more quickly.

Exactly, it’s that panic buying, right now, you’re looking at the supply and then walk over here, this is the demand. We have traffic in two directions going down this street and then path to the left, this street over there, extending for two city blocks. This is the scene right here, Shep.

Reminds me of the Carter administration, is anybody resorting to drastic measures because of these shortages? I mean aside from filling up their gas cans.

Yeah, well, there was some talk over the weekend of canceling the Georgia-Alabama Game to cut down on the gas that thousands of fans would be using, but Governor Sonny Perdue dismissed that as ridiculous. Also in Douglas County, just west of Atlanta, people have been calling 911, saying “Where is the gas?” local officials saying “Don’t do that. The operators have no idea and it’s tying up the system for legitimate calls.”

Have you mentioned canceling football? How far is the extent there? They are having any problem around Gainesville? Cause' that would have been a good excuse for them to cancel a certain football game over the weekend.

They are having the issue throughout the entire southeast and Georgia is not even the hardest hit state. Tennessee was particularly badly hit, Nashville, major urban centers,  in the North Carolina, you’re talking about  Raleigh, North Carolina, Charlotte , mirroring what you’re seeing here in Atlanta all over the southeast, Shep.

Well, Jonathan Serrie live in Atlanta I'm told there's about 30 to 31 chance of getting gas in Gainesville...