Some craziness going on in the Austin area today.
There's a run on gasoline underway, starting at roughly mid-day today. Didn't take long before tons of stations were either out or overwhelmed with massive lines. See story
here
My wife had let her car go down too low on gas too, but not run-dry type level. With the hurricane inbound, she had around 5/8 in the tank by my estimate this past weekend. By Monday morning, this area was fine in terms of storm activity and she returned to work as normal. But with 4 days of driving 20+ miles each way to work & home plus shopping, errands, school sports, etc that had dropped her gauge down to less than 1/4 tank. She went to fill up this afternoon - and found massive lines everywhere.
These lines sprang up between 12 and 3 pm today. It was that fast. There were no crazy news stories that seemed to push this into motion. Everyone just figured OK, Houston is hit hard and things are shut down. Then the lines started forcing everyone to expect the worst. So it was all panic buying.
We were talking about this - I had been getting texts and calls from my wife & daughter about how hard it was to find gas while they were out on numerous small errands. I had remarked that now that the storms were over, I had planned to top off the RV with the relatively fresh gas in the cans, and my wife said "Nope, don't do that. We might now need it for the cars." Once she was home, we continued talking about the craziness.
The whole exercise really opened my wife's eyes about how fast these things can go sideways and absolutely for no real reason. Plus of course she appreciated the fact that we had gas, which I had just rotated into the cars & replaced a couple weeks prior to the hurricane - prior to the warnings etc.
I did end up helping a neighbor from down the street who ran out on his way home. He got up from a nap at home, headed out to pick up his daughter and planned to get gas on the way home. When he went to sleep mid-day, there was no issue.
But by the time he was up & about it was completely NO DICE - every station for miles had major lines, if they had gas at all. After going to four different stations on his route home, he said he thought his lawnmower can at home was full so he zeroed in on just getting home. Alas, his little truck starved out less than 100 yards from his house right in our neighborhood, literally one street over. Only to then learn his lawnmower can was bone dry.
So, he came to me. He had borrowed things before - a chain saw last time. But he'd always taken care of my stuff and returned them promptly. Happy to help, I got him a couple gallons of gas (in said empty can) and he had what he needed to go get more. And I started filling up my wife's car. I originally had 15 gallons just in the blitz cans. Minus a gallon we had used for weed whacker oil/gas mix last week, and two for him, we had roughly 12 to cover the Mrs' vehicle. Taking my time, no rush.
Turns out, the local grocery store still had Premium so he filled up, and even returned his re-filled can to me as repayment within a couple hours or so.
We didn't truly have anything to worry about. We've got four vehicles. Despite wife's commuter being just below 1/4 and mine at just less than half, the RV has over 3/4 and my son's F350 has most of the single tank currently in the truck. Neither of those vehicles move much. We don't have TONS of fuel but we have plenty. But only because we plan for it.
I guess now one of my preps has become "prepare for entire city to be stupid for no reason" even more than I had previously estimated. hahahahah
Then I went out to pick up my daughter from volleyball practice, and I planned on looking to see what the fuel situation was at that point. Which was well after rush hour commute was done. What we saw was nothing short of amazing.
Her practice gym is at the end of suburbia where it hits rural living. And I planned to go a bit further out - get out of the crush of humanity going on. So we headed out on a two-lane road to the tiny little town north of us. Not only did we strike out on gas - but the one we found that DID have gas right where I expected it, there were at least 9 cop cars, two ambulances and I think multiple fire trucks and the whole road was blocked off. We had two choices and both of them had us on the road back home.
Odd, I thought. So, we decide to shine getting gas at all tonight. No worries.
Then we get 1/3 home, and we have to dodge gas lines that have people blocking major intersections to go get gas. Being downright idiots on the road. We re-route and keep heading home.
Another major intersection - the traffic lights are out, in an apparently planned service to the signals at night. I say that only because they already had sand-bagged stop signs in place. But, this was immediately in front of two major/popular gas stations and just down the street from a third. All empty.
We FINALLY get back home, no worse for wear and only down maybe a half gallon extra for the adventure.
Note to self - let things stabilize then get a bunch of gas so we have a full 2nd fill for ALL vehicles going forward. And acquire & install the 2nd tank for the F350. The velocity with which people go STUPID about fuel is not to be underestimated again. Even after the majority of a storm that DIDN'T really hit locally is over.