Stop buying gas you don’t need
Whenever a natural disaster like a hurricane hits the Gulf Coast, it’s almost a guarantee that some of the oil refineries will be knocked off-line. Hurricane Harvey was no different, flooding several refineries and closing them down. This has caused a run on gas stations in Texas in such cities as Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. Gas stations in these areas have run out of gas, but it’s a man-made crisis born out of fear.
The runs on gas stations have become so prevalent in Texas that not only has fighting broken out between customers, but some people were also filling up illegal containers like trash cans in order to hoard gas. It was these runs on the gas stations that caused the outlets to run out of gas because they’re not designed to distribute that much gas when everyone in the area is looking to fill up their tanks, or whatever other container they might have.
If people had just gassed their cars like they normally would, there wouldn’t have been shortages. The gas is out there, but these runs are disrupting the delivery schedule to gas stations. Just think of all the gas that must have been wasted by people waiting hours in line to top off their tanks. Instead of reacting to fear, we should be conserving gas instead. While the supplies are being replenished, think about limiting your driving to only essential matters or not running your air conditioner as much when you drive.
In times of crisis we need to think more about everyone else than just ourselves.
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