Short on Gas

Hess on CIA Image by Johnatahn Judge.

Eric Rodriguez, 70th Precinct Commanding Officer, emails this update, confirming what neighbors have been telling us – there is a gas shortage:

“There are massive traffic back ups around the city, also restrictions going into Manhattan, so please adhere to those rules. It will probably take a couple of hours to get to Manhattan.

Another issue is gasoline. Most gas stations in the area are out of gas and the stations with gas have very long lines. We are in the process of speaking with gas stations personnel to get a better idea of when they will have more gas.”

At a press conference today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked about the gas shortages, and explained they are looking into opening harbors and are dealing with some stations that don’t have power, which means they can’t pump.

“It will take some time,” he said. “It’s one of these problems we’re just going to have to live through, and by Monday I think most of it will have gone away.”

Some reports from Twitter about stations along Coney Island Ave:

Line for gas, CIA by Caton. Image by Amber Ceffalio

In the meantime, it may be wise to heed Amber’s advice:

The wait looks like hours.  That isn’t even the full line. [image above]  People up further were standing outside their cars chatting.  I’d tell people to not use cars if possible and avoid areas with gas stations.