From a reader:
i haven’t seen too much about this (atrios has a little thing about gas shortages in atlanta), but i thought that since i live in northern mississippi i might as well shoot you a line about what’s going on. basically, the gas stations here are running out and saying that they don’t know when more gas will come. most of them have already instituted some type of rationing. the station down the road from my house has a $25 limit, and my boss visited one last night with a 5 gallon limit per customer. there are long, long lines at the gas pumps, prices are soaring, fights are breaking out, and people are getting into wrecks trying to get in there. i’m told that there are cities around here that are already completely dry.
Because this catastrophe snuck up on us in slow motion, I think a lot of people haven’t really come to terms with the immensity of it. This is going to affect us all, for a long time, in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. Gas lines and price gouging are only the beginning.
(What’s happening in your area as a result of Katrina? Send your stories.)