LAT/AP: Floridians Again Find Gas in Short Supply

[DeepModem Mom]

Floridians Again Find Gas in Short Supply
By ERIK SCHELZIG, Associated Press Writer


MIAMI -- Many Floridians struggled another day to find food, water and fuel after Hurricane Wilma on Thursday, with lines of people and cars forming around home improvement stores and gas stations.

President Bush arrived in Miami to visit the National Hurricane Center and boarded a helicopter to get his first look at the damage wrought by Wilma in Florida, where about 2 million homes and businesses were still without power.

"People are getting fed. Soon more and more houses will have their electricity," Bush said as he greeted relief volunteers in Pompano Beach. "Their life will get back to normal."

Many gas stations that had fuel were without electricity, and others that had power ran out of supplies. Shouting matches started at some stations when people tried cutting in line.

"Get gas down here. This is craziness," Connie Rodriguez, 23, said Thursday while she and her fiance tried getting gas at two stations across the street from each other....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top13oct27,0,7985383.story

[rodeodance]

1. oh but Bush said that tanker are 'on the way" a bit late for Fema.

[Spinzonner]

2. The US needs to learn to organize for disasters BEFORE they

occur, not during and after.

And that planning and drilling needs to include the public at large, not just the authorities and agencies.

It's too big a job to be handled from the top-down.

There needs to be organizing at the neighborhood, apartment building, etc level with 'captains' who interact with the authorities and convey status and needs up the line and get feedback including information and direction in return.

And people with special needs or unable to take care of themselves completely need to be associated with 'buddies' who will check on them, help them, and call in more sophisticated help when necessary.

Even the good will exhibited by many people in assuming these roles during and after a disaster is not a substitiute for organizng to do it beforehand.

[wakeme2008]

3. This is all Oil BS

I was in Florida before Whima hit on Sunday. While gas in Roanoke was hitting $2.39 it was $2.79 in Tampa Sunday before the cane. It is now down to $2.29 in Va.