Gas Crunch Wreaks Havoc in Sandy Aftermath

Thursday was chaotic locally, as an enormous rise in demand for gasoline in the wake of Hurricane Sandy created long lines and, for some stations, closure.

Local stations that were out of gas tried several ways to notify the public, ranging from placing red covers on the pumps, to blocking off entrances. Depleted stations included the two in Chappaqua and several in Mount Kisco.

In contrast, several gas stations were up, with long lines a major issue. Examples included the Mount Kisco BP station at the Route 117/Byram Lake intersection, and a Shell station across the station, right at the same crossroads. The Millwood Market Shell station, which has been open this week, had "manageable lines," LoHud's Alex Weisler tweeted Thursday evening.

Alex Fernandez, owner of the Shell station on Chappaqua's South Greeley Avenue, said they opened at around 6 a.m. Thursday and run out of gas by abou 4 p.m. While much of the business district is without power, he was operating on a generator.  He explained that people came to refuel for vehicle or generator usage.

Fernandez he was getting calls for gas way beyond the area, coming as far away as Long Island, Brooklyn and Queens. He hopes to get more in soon, but noted that he's getting gas from New England, as regular terminals in New Jersey, Long Island and Newburgh are closed.

Christian De Dalmas said he drove all the way from Rye to Mount Kisco just to get gas. Standing at the BP station, De Dalmas expressed frustration with the shortage and the country's general ability to provide gasoline.

"It's not like we're a third-world country," he said.