CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There are only theories as to why gas stations across the Coastal Bend saw long lines of cars Tuesday leading to some stations running out of gasoline entirely.
Power outages attributed to the current Arctic blast forcing lots of people to turn to generators for electricity could be a contributing factor.
Brian Breaux's home on North Padre Island has been without power for two days.
He bought gasoline for his generator at the Stripes gas station at Morgan and Crosstown Tuesday.
“Every gas station I’ve been to has been really busy," Breaux said. "They were all the way back towards the island. There’s a lot of chaos right now over fuel. I don’t know why. This storm isn't going to last forever.”
Concerns about a possible gasoline shortage caused by wintry weather delaying tanker truck deliveries is another potential explanation for busy gas stations.
The Sunoco station at Tarlton and Crosstown ran out of gas Monday, and workers there blamed a delayed delivery.
In response, gas customer John Estrada thinks people will rush to fill-up their tanks which he says will cause other stations to run out of gas.
“It’ll become a shortage, and then it’s only a supply and demand," Estrada said. "So if you don't have the supply, you’re going to have to get it somewhere else."
The rumor mill could also be to blame.
KRIS 6 News received a call about a Facebook post that supposedly warns of an unverified, impending gas shortage.
Local driver Laurie Pena says residents overreacting to rumors and speculation is a common problem.
“It seems like Corpus runs out of things anytime something happens," Pena said. "So it seems like that’s the way Corpus is.”
