Long Lines for Long Islanders
by Shannen Bala
Hurricane Sandy hit New Hyde Park hard: fallen trees found on almost every street and no electricity in schools, businesses, and residences for days, even weeks. But even as power started returning, a new crisis arose: limited gas.
The problem was that specific businesses, without power, had a large impact on Long Island and NYC. With no electricity, the main terminals could not supply gas to gas stations, resulting in thousands of empty gas stations and desperate drivers needing to refill their tanks.
A long line of cars however, some lines reaching to 150 cars, were found at refueled gas stations. Drivers woke up early, stayed out late, and waited hours to refill their cars. Some waited hours on line, but when gas at the station eventually ran out, they unfortunately came home with even less gas. Another problem was that limited gas meant a rise in gas prices. In addition, angry fights, verbal and physical, resulted in these long gas lines. Fist-fights became so chaotic that people were arrested.
In reaction to the gas crisis, Mayor Bloomberg took measures for the best recovery. To shorten gas lines, the “even-odd gas rationing” came into effect: license plates ending with an odd number would get gas on odd days and those ending with an even number would get gas on even days. But by this time, as for most of New York, the worst had already ended. More than 85% of gas stations were in business, compared to only 25% two weeks prior. While the gas crisis in New
Hyde Park lasted for a few days, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy brought out the panic and desperation among the people in New York and New Jersey. When power and supplies are cut off, our will to survive is shown, but for the most part, New Hyde Park has survived well. This is because in order for us to survive, we all had to sacrifice. While some residents never lost power in their homes, the gas crisis was the one thing we all had to go through. Everyone was affected one way or another. We all waited hours on line, before the sun rose, or in the cold winds of the night. We all tried to conserve our gas or were angry, afraid, or frustrated at this tragedy.
Superstorm Sandy left thousands without power, leaving many families displaced. It wreaked havoc on the northeast, and left the tri-state area in chaos. But through the chaos, we gained a sense of communal bond. The storm, beyond simply causing a utilities frenzy, showed the resilience of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans.
The problem was that specific businesses, without power, had a large impact on Long Island and NYC. With no electricity, the main terminals could not supply gas to gas stations, resulting in thousands of empty gas stations and desperate drivers needing to refill their tanks.
A long line of cars however, some lines reaching to 150 cars, were found at refueled gas stations. Drivers woke up early, stayed out late, and waited hours to refill their cars. Some waited hours on line, but when gas at the station eventually ran out, they unfortunately came home with even less gas. Another problem was that limited gas meant a rise in gas prices. In addition, angry fights, verbal and physical, resulted in these long gas lines. Fist-fights became so chaotic that people were arrested.
In reaction to the gas crisis, Mayor Bloomberg took measures for the best recovery. To shorten gas lines, the “even-odd gas rationing” came into effect: license plates ending with an odd number would get gas on odd days and those ending with an even number would get gas on even days. But by this time, as for most of New York, the worst had already ended. More than 85% of gas stations were in business, compared to only 25% two weeks prior. While the gas crisis in New
Hyde Park lasted for a few days, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy brought out the panic and desperation among the people in New York and New Jersey. When power and supplies are cut off, our will to survive is shown, but for the most part, New Hyde Park has survived well. This is because in order for us to survive, we all had to sacrifice. While some residents never lost power in their homes, the gas crisis was the one thing we all had to go through. Everyone was affected one way or another. We all waited hours on line, before the sun rose, or in the cold winds of the night. We all tried to conserve our gas or were angry, afraid, or frustrated at this tragedy.
Superstorm Sandy left thousands without power, leaving many families displaced. It wreaked havoc on the northeast, and left the tri-state area in chaos. But through the chaos, we gained a sense of communal bond. The storm, beyond simply causing a utilities frenzy, showed the resilience of New Yorkers and New Jerseyans.