Nashville Gas Crisis Cover-Up

Nashville has been out of gas since Thursday. Many news articles say things like 'Some Nashville Stations Out of Gas'. BS. Almost ALL Nashville area stations are out of gas. I know of one truck stop off I-65 that has gas, if you have all day to wait. It takes 40 minutes just to drive by the traffic caused by the lines.
Two things were downplayed in the news coverage. The Scope; According to friends and family, this shortage extends east to Knoxville and on into North Carolina. The Severity; When I say severity I mean things like: Touring bands that are stuck here, people who cannot get to work, empty retail establishments. Few can spare gas for non essential driving.
My friendly station owner says he'll have gas tomorrow, and I believe him, even though this is what he says everyday. The gas is probably starting to come back. So, I don't want to argue about that. My point is that as this unfolded over the weekend the MM downplayed it. This article from The Tennessean is a little more honest since locals obviously already knew the magnitude.
www.tennessean.com.../20080915

[edit on 22-9-2008 by Leroy]

[edit on 22-9-2008 by Leroy]

[edit on 22-9-2008 by Leroy]

Hmm, I can't get the link to work.
Google Nashville gas shortage, there are tons of softball articles. After last week's stock market ride, this crisis has just added to the anxiety everyone is feeling here.

[edit on 22-9-2008 by Leroy]

All edits from trying to get the link to work, I'm not totally new, but this is my first thread.

[edit on 22-9-2008 by Leroy]

THIS if true, is a super big story. WHO CAN CONFIRM!?!?! I shall write my tennesse buddy right now!

Another thing that was weird, as The Tennessean article mentions, was the price disparity. At two stations that still had gas Friday one charged $4.29 a gallon and the other was $3.79. These stations are just a block away from each other.
As far as conformation, I searched "Nashville Out Of Gas", and got tons of hits.
I'm sure someone is going to come on here and say, " I'm in Nashville, and I have a full tank." Great, I'm sure you do, this thing has to lift soon because it makes no sense anyway. What interested me was how most MM articles acted like it was just "Some Area Stations."

I'm in Jefferson City Tennessee...about 20 minutes northeast of Knoxville, and I'm not really sure if we are out of gas here. I don't drive, nor own a car, but I haven't heard anyone talking about gas shortages.

I found a bunch of links via google. The CNN report claims it was a matter of a rumor triggering everyone to get gas at the same time. I wonder what the onsite supply of gasoline is versus the cars on the road. How tight is the supply?

Nashville pumps dry after panic about rumor of no gas
CNN) -- Call it a self-fulfilling prophecy: An estimated three-fourths of gas stations in the Nashville, Tennessee, area ran dry Friday, victim of an apparent rumor that the city was running out of gas.

Nashville Pumps dry after panic.....

Here's the most recent story from the AP:

AAA: Nashville has worst gas shortage in southeast

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nashville continues to see the worst gasoline shortage in the southeast.

AAA: Nashville has worst gas shortage in southeast

It was an unsettling, recurring sight over the weekend. On Memorial Drive Friday afternoon, drivers lined up from Clark Boulevard to Old Fort Parkway, some even getting out of their cars to chat with a fellow gas-hunter during the wait, all hoping to inch their way into an overcrowded, run-down Mapco.

Middle Tennessee found its way onto national news networks as the gas shortage-which had been worsening in the days after Hurricane Ike-reached a pinnacle point. The results of the shortage became all too familiar and apparent the past few days. Dozens of cars crammed into a station, lines of cars stretched along some of Murfreesboro's busiest streets, blank price signs and plastic bags proliferating fuel pumps became common sights.

"It's been scary, because you don't know exactly when and where you're going to be if you run out of gas," said Matt Frierson, senior political science major. "I think we should just let it play out. If people keeps filling up their tanks and emptying the tanks in the ground, it's going to have to be regulated.

On Sunday, the shortage and ensuing panic seemed to be letting up, but state and industry officials have warned that it will most likely persist for the rest of the week.

media.www.mtsusidelines.com...

Alright I talked to a friend and he says we are running low on gas here too. He told me a list of a lot of places that were out, including Food City.

Thank y'all for posting those articles.
I have also heard the explanation that it is our fault because we panicked on a rumor. I feel like there has to be more to it than that. There is no gas, so how is that a rumor? My heart sinks when I think about dealing with this for the rest of the week. I have just enough gas to get to a station nearby when it opens up, and not enough to idle in a long line. I've had to cancel all appointments till I can gas up.

reply to post by Leroy


Leroy...I'm in The Boro and we were completely out of gas on Sunday. None anywhere. Luckily I had filled up and had to take my sister (in Brentwood) some gas so she could get to work today. I've never seen anything like it.

However, there was alot of panicked calls from friends and family last week urging each other to go get gas. i'm sure that panic contributed to the problems.

reply to post by sdp333

"Middle Tennessee Panics On Rumor." I don't trust that explanation simply because it fits the paradigm of a cover-up. First there was no shortage, then when they had to admit what was happening, it was only because we are dumb, panic-stricken rednecks.
But, I must admit people ARE freaking, and I'm sure it is not helping matters. btw, How's Gentleman Jim?

[edit on 22-9-2008 by Leroy]

From yahoo answers. Parts of Kentucky are out of gas

That extends from knoxville Tenn to NC to Kentucky...

The 1st brigade will be here in a week to police us.

The banks are all failing.

Martial law seems very VERY imminent!

reply to post by titorite


Yeah I have to admit that it feels very scary right now. Did you happen to hear C2C last night? Oh well, that is probably a topic for another thread. Good luck everyone. Go fill your tanks now if you can. I actually filled up as Ike was hitting, having been burned after Katrina. But, that's all gone now. I wish I'd filled up some cans.

reply to post by Leroy


Nope I missed C2C last night... I just got back from a property hunting expedition. I put in a bid for some 11 acres of land in Missouri. I am hoping that I can seal this deal within the next 10 days so that I can get their and get the heck outta dodge!

Holy #...Gas just hit $129 a barrel

I'm in central NC and last time I was out to get gas, 2 stations only had the cheap stuff. A day before one of the stations had closed claiming to be out of gas. I won't need gas until later this week so hopefully I'll be able to get it by then.

I can confirm Nashville seems out of gas. We had to stop at 6 places on our way to Florida this weekend. While down there, we talked to some relatives who said the police were manning gas stations - directing traffic and enforcing max $40 purchases for fuel.

Since when (in a free market economy) do people tell you how much of something you can buy? Also, true what another poster said - The prices seem rather random when you have $3.79 per gallon of 87 grade and across the street it's $4.29.

OK according to this ats thread Gas is running low in georgia too.

That makes four states. Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

In Arkansas I saw lots of gas and I was surprised because it was selling around 3.49.. At one murphys in north Texas I filled up for 3.32

Gas in my local area is 3.59

From AK to southern MO to OK to TX I had no trouble getting gas.. in fact despite IKE I thought prices were VERY low...

Strange...

I kinda wonder if this is being engineered...

I forgot to ask, Who else is out of gas? Can we get some more reports? If the news media isn't gonna report on this then its on us to do the reporting right?

So star and flag and sound off on the gas situation in your area.

Four states is no isolated incident. Do you have gas?

Update: I just got gas at the Pilot on Trinity Lane. Price $3.89. Wait: 1-2 Hours. No one is controlling the lines and tensions are running high. Employees there said it has been like this for 5 days straight, although it slacked off a little today. I estimate there were 75 cars lined up for 6 pumps.
Stopped at a Shell first, but the owner said he had no idea when he would get gas. He said his supplier won't even answer the phone anymore, and that his business is suffering. He has not had gas since Friday morning.
A friend in Murfreesboro (27 miles south of Nashvegas) said many stations were out of gas although not all. He reports no lines and prices from $3.99 to $4.29. As for the price disparity, this article seems to shed some light on that, apparently independent stations are paying a lot more for their gas than affiliates.
[www.csnews.com...]
Price of oil continues to rise. $25 dollars so far today.