The New York Times has quoted an expert from Rice University who thinks that the gas shortages in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee could continue for two more weeks.

If I had to put a date on it, I’d say things won’t be normal for two more weeks,” said Kenneth B. Medlock III, an energy expert at Rice University, in Houston.

Meanwhile, consumers are going from being “good sports” about the shortage to getting downright angry about it.

“At first I was a good sport, but this is getting ridiculous,” said Marsha Lewis, 43, an administrative assistant who lives in Dacula, Ga., and commutes to Atlanta. “I drive an hour to work every day, and looking for gasoline has become my entire life.”

The shortage was caused by combination of refinery damage and power outages in Texas, says a spokesperson from the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, but there’s also plenty of blame being doled out to panicky consumers.

“You hear stories about tankers pulling into gas stations and people are already waiting — and they have half a tank,” Dr. Medlock said. “It’s akin to hoarding.”

Frustration in the South as a Gasoline Shortage Drags On [NYT]
(AP photo/Jason Bronis)

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