Northwest Florida No Longer Running on Empty

Jul. 23–Though the sight of gas pumps wrapped in plastic remains common throughout Northwest Florida, station managers say lines are shrinking and the situation is improving.

“It’s pretty busy, but they’re not mobbing me,” said Eric Martin, assistant manager at the Nugget Oil in Valparaiso.

Martin said his station got a shipment of gas Friday morning after running on empty for the past week. He said the lines for gas were not long. In Shalimar, the Racetrac station remained a popular destination, but Mary Ann Niemann, a manager, said the lines were getting smaller.

“The phone is ringing off the hook,” Niemann said. “People are asking if we have gas. We’re always running low.

“We’re not as busy as other days.”

A barge loaded with gasoline arrived at the Citgo Petroleum facility in Niceville on Wednesday, and two more barges with 2 million gallons of fuel are scheduled to dock on Sunday night or Monday morning, according to terminal manager Jay Goss.

“Everything is starting to get back in perspective and become more moderate,” said Goss, adding the terminal is doing twice its normal amount of business.

Goss said he expected the terminal to tap out around the time the next shipment arrives.

“It should not be out long enough for retail locations to feel a delay,” Goss said.

Goss said the barges, which were originally scheduled to be in town today, got delayed at the Louisiana refinery. But the fully stocked barges were on their way as of Friday afternoon, and Goss said the weather looked like it would cooperate.

Niemann was glad to see the gas situation becoming less chaotic. At the height of the rush, her station had throngs of customers trying to fill up and went to a pre-pay-only system that caused some customers to become unhappy.

“It eliminated the problem,” Niemann said of the improved fuel supply. “People are not fighting anymore. There’s no traffic accidents. The police are happy because they don’t have to be here.”

Niemann was also looking forward to a time when her job wouldn’t be so stressful.

“I’m tired of picking up the phone, and I’m losing my voice from talking so much,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll be back to normal soon.”

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