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Gasoline Shortage Forcing Many to Stay Put in Houston

Posted on: Saturday, 24 September 2005, 00:00 CDT

Sep. 23--AUSTIN -- Thousands of evacuees remain stranded on freeways out of Houston today, and authorities are warning resident it's too late to evacuate.

Traffic jams trapped motorists on freeways all day Thursday as they tried to flee the Gulf Coast, and although much of the traffic has cleared out now, many vehicles ran out of fuel on highways as cars inched along.

Speaking this morning at a news conference, Mayor Bill White told Houston residents in most at-risk areas that evacuating now, with the traffic and fuel shortages, is unwise.

"The message is simple. You're better off to shelter in place now that the storm seems to be passing east of us," said Frank Michel, spokesman for Mayor Bill White.

Emergency officials are working on a plan to move stranded drivers into shelters, even if that means abandoning vehicles, Michel said. Fuel trucks are bringing gasoline to stuck drivers as well, in the city and on freeways leading out of the city.

Although Houston may avoid a direct hit from Rita, the hurricane will still cause serious problems, Michel said.

"We still expect we'll get a storm surge, though probably not to the extent we thought," he said. "It's still a very dangerous storm."

Houston police and emergency services will abandon the streets as wind speeds increase, Michel said.

"There will be no 911 response," he said.

The Texas National Guard was dispatching two 5,000 tankers from Austin at daybreak today to help motorists stranded along U.S. 290, U.S. 59, and Interstate 45 as well as Interstate 10. There were reports that the tankers had already provided gas to hundreds of motorists on I-45, but callers stranded on U.S. 59 complained there were no signs of help.

"We're going to have fuel there, and we're going to get them out," said Steve McCraw, state director of Homeland Security.

The trucks are to work their way back toward Houston with 40,000 gallons of gasoline, and stranded motorists are asked to pop their hoods to signal they need fuel.

McCraw said the state also is working with the Texas Oil and Gas Association and Texas Tank Carriers Association to transport more than 200,000 gallons of fuel provided by Exxon Mobil to refuel the National Guard tankers.

Some of the fuel also is going to service stations so they can reopen. Coast Guard helicopters were flying fuel to 11 different Texas Department of Transportation locations to refuel 100 trucks that are taking gas to stranded vehicles, McCraw said.

Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said his office has received complaints of price gouging for gasoline -- as well as for food, lodging and building materials. He said he will prosecute confirmed cases.

With each passing hour, the situation is growing worse.

Without gasoline to run their automobiles many have no radios to listen to the latest the developments on Rita's path. Many are poor and left their homes to the south fearful that Rita would come ashore in Matagorda County or at Freeport in Brazoria County. They quickly crammed their most precious belongings in their automobiles in response to grave storm warnings.

By Mark Carreau and Jason Spencer

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Copyright (c) 2005, Houston Chronicle

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Source: Houston Chronicle

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