Hernando Today - Online Edition -
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Published on: 9/1/2005
Last Visited: 9/2/2005
"Folks may be a little panicky," said Eric Hamilton, associate director of the Florida Petroleum Council, based in Tallahassee.
People hear stories about one station running out of gas then rush out to fill every vehicle they own, Hamilton said.
Damaged refineries and pipelines shutting down because of Hurricane Katrina have also caused the temporary shortages across the state, Hamilton said.According to the federal Energy Information Association, Hurricane Katrina has shut down nine refineries along the Gulf Coast, an area that provides 30 percent of the gasoline used in the United States.
One million gallons of gasoline will be out of the market for at least a week because of the havoc Katrina caused, jacking up gas prices as much as 40 cents this week, according to the Energy Information Association.
But all three major petroleum terminals in Florida are well supplied, Hamilton said.The Tampa Port Authority, Jacksonville Port Authority and Port Everglades are well stocked, he said.