CNNI showing TX in grid-lock (stau)--many cars out of gas, stations, too

[lebkuchen]

The Houston area refines 1/4 of the nation's fuel, right? And it can't keep its stations refueled for a predictable evac? If Houston can't do better than this, it will be "curtains" when the next hurricane hits a non-oil producing region.

In Germany, beer trucks, buses and ambulances get the automatic right of way. In a potential disaster, add fuel trucks. Germans would be incredulous if the autobahn stations were to run out of fuel once they were told to evacuate, not to mention, it's against the law to run out of gas on the autobahn.

[skooooo]

1. Are you German?

Unfortunately, there's so much arrogance in American that our "leaders" don't think about things like this.

[DBoon]

2. Germany is a civilized nation that cares about its citizens

any country that gives beer trucks the right of way is way more advanced than the US!

[okieinpain]

3. oh, no that could happen in texas, see they have a repug governor

[skooooo]

7. Why couldn't they deliver gasoline...

...by helicopter delivery? Oh I forgot, we don't "do" that kind of thing in America.

[okieinpain]

10. really why not open both sides of the highway. any one wanting to

head to houston or that area can take the service roads. man what does it take for the government to get a clue.

[skooooo]

11. I think they are "planning" to do this...

...but they want to roll it out in a way that makes "sense." That's what I heard on TV.

[okieinpain]

15. ha, that should have been on the agenda from day 1. dumb asses.

[skooooo]

18. Who could have known?

Who could have foreseen traffic jams when the city was evacuating?

No one anticipated this!

/sarcasm

[lebkuchen]

22. If you were in a 14 hr. stau, which would you rather have?

beer or gas?

[tx_dem41]

27. They did it 5 hours ago. n/t

[skooooo]

32. not by my tv screen they didn't

[tammywammy]

33. Okay, traffic was back up for 100 miles

They start opening up the traffic, it takes time for the grid-lock to unlock. Just like if a land of traffic is suddenly opened, not all cars start moving at once, it's a chain reaction. And they've said it could take 12 hours for it to completely open.

[skooooo]

34. yeah i see it now..

Hope they got those open in time to get everyone out.

[txindy]

4. Beer trucks have the right of way? Are there frequent beer emergencies?

:rofl:

I don't see how the gas stations can be held liable for running out of gas, though. It's their suppliers that bring the gas to them. They have the amount they have and when it's gone, what can they do about it? If cars are stuck for 13 hours on a trip that normally takes 30 minutes, then any trucks delivering gasoline would be just as stuck.

[lebkuchen]

9. What can I say....Germans love beer. Landbier is my favorite.

[LeftHander]

12. LOL - I'm having one now! nt

a beer emergency...

[lebkuchen]

19. It's true.

Beer trucks have right of way.

The US loves its guns, Germans love their beer. Every country has its priority.

[txindy]

24. True, but we don't give trucks carrying guns priority on our highways.

Truck drivers carrying guns, though, are another story, altogether.

[lebkuchen]

25. I thought the window-rack was the "siren"--get the hell out of my way

or die!

[txindy]

26. In the rear window of a pick-up truck, yes.

But just seeing the grille of an 18-wheeler completely dominating your view from your rear-view mirror does it, too. Those trucks dwarf everyone else on the road. A lot of cars only come up to the headlights on those monsters:
http://www.bergeymacktrucks.com.nyud.net:8090/images/mack_ltvs.jpg

[lebkuchen]

30. gonna take a monster like that to refuel all the stuck SUVs and 4 x 4s

not to mention those Greyhound-like "campers."

What do they all get, 10 mpg, if lucky?

[txindy]

35. That sounds about right. Plus the few mpg the monster itself gets

And he would use diesel, I'm sure, so that's entirely different. I don't see how this will work out very well.

[lebkuchen]

36. Is diesel that common in the states?

I didn't notice it much in MA. When I did see it, it was more expensive that the other grades of gasoline. In Europe, it's the opposite.

[txindy]

37. It's not as common as plain gasoline.

There may be one or two pumps per station for diesel, if the station carries it, at all. It is usually slightly cheaper than gas, but has gone above it recently (in places) due to availability issues.

I've never had a diesel engine, myself. I just can't stand the bus-like fumes and exhaust. Yech. The noise makes it rattle like a bus, too. An old bus.

[lebkuchen]

40. Germans make a diesel engine that is quiet and exhaust free

Hard for Americans to understand, but it's true. Do US automakers make diesel engine cars? If so, the designers may want to get together with German automakers and refine their merchandise.

[txindy]

43. I'm sure they do. With pickup trucks in TX, though, it's fairly common.

What's funny is, I've found Mercedes to be one of the worst offenders here in terms of noise and exhaust. Those are slightly older, higher-end models. I just can't imagine paying $50,000+ for a car that sounds and smells like an old school bus.

[lebkuchen]

44. I drive a diesel 2002 Mercedes

built in Spain. No problems at all with the noise/exhaust, and I get excellent gas mileage. But lots of other problems-- w/wiring, lousy shocks, tires, AC--generally poor workmanship. If you buy one, get a five year warranty.

[tammywammy]

38. Diesel is available at 1 out of every 4 gas stations

I find it's very common in Texas. And it shouldn't be more expensive than gasoline, since it's cheaper to produce.

I'm about to own a diesel Beetle in a month or so (unless the Houston port is closed for a while, since my car is in transit...) and the engine really isn't that much louder than a gas engine. Just the ping sound, but it's not much. Not like diesel cars of the 70s.

You also probably haven't been looking for diesel, keep your eyes open and you'll notice it's much more common.

[lebkuchen]

41. I don't think you will hear a ping sound when you get your car

I don't hear anything out of the ordinary w/my diesel, also German made.

[kestrel91316]

39. An awful lot of us Americans don't even own a gun. And wouldn't.

The gun owners are just a much noiser, more obnoxious bunch.

[VolcanoJen]

42. Ich liebe Deutschen Prioritäten!!

Sorry about my schrecklich grammar! :-)

[MidwestTransplant]

5. Got Iraq?

No gas there either. Weird right.

[On the Road]

6. This is What People Were Forgetting With Katrina

If all those school buses HAD been used to take people out, they would have had a sever-hour drive to Houston. Part of the way in bumper-to-bumper traffic. With a hurricane bearing down. And no plans for refueling.

You know how few gas stations there are between New Orleans and Houston? Most of is swamp and prarie. And the only thing worse than staying in N.O. during Katrina would have been getting stuck in a school bus with 140-mph winds bearing down.

[lebkuchen]

8. sounds like the area between Miami and Tampa

FL, TX, and LA had better adapt. Katrina and Rita aren't going to be the last word in monster hurricanes, if US scientists know what they are talking about (if only the Chimp were a believer).

[okieinpain]

13. yeah, and just how far does the mayors authority go, hell he couldn't

even get people to walk out of nola. the surrounding areas just turned them around. the gov., needs her ass kicked. sorry I know that's a touchy subject, but she sucks.

[doublethink]

17. The established facts of reality always skip the freeper mind.

Doesn't it? In Katrina, it took people at the minimum 14 hours to get 80 to 100 miles from New Orleans ..... going north and into lesser traffic. Just heard it's taken about the same amount of time to get 48 miles today for those poor people escaping Rita. One freeper back arguing the Bus issue went on and on about why not just make multiple trips back and forth with those busses, 3 or 4 trips going 80 miles an hour, bla bla bla. I just shook my head. :freak: Peace.

[Skwmom]

28. But a PLAN should have been in place that already took

these problems into consideration. The should have either worked out ways to resolves these issues (e.g., fuel trucks) or come up with a new plan of evacuation. It wasn't like New Orleans didn't know it was sitting inside a giant soup bowl.

[Igel]

45. That's about what they had for getting people out of

Houston on school buses.

Yesterday I passed a convoy of empty school buses returning for another run.

[Skwmom]

14. Were national guard troops (or anyone else) assigned to keep the

traffic flowing? They should have been able to bring in fuel trucks and tow trucks to keep the traffic flowing. If not, I'd say there was a BIG HOLE in their planning.

[lebkuchen]

16. CNNI says that if cars run out of gas, drivers should pull over

and fuel trucks are going to come and refuel them all individually--Houston's answer to ADAC, an 18 wheeler?

[skooooo]

20. Oh sure...

...and the tooth fairy is going to be there too to help out.

[lebkuchen]

23. Count on Bush to bend over backwards to appease those in need

Being a Vietnam Ace NG pilot, he'll presidential order-up a squadron of KC 135s to refuel those stuck cars!

[Skwmom]

29. Where these plans in place prior to evacuation or was it another BIG OOPS

why didn't we plan for the obvious. My money is on the latter.

[lebkuchen]

31. CNNI wasn't asking any critcal questions--just stating the obvious

based on what one could see from film...lots of cars sitting at a gas-station-with-no-gas, and cars w/no fuel pulled over to the right.

In Germany, when pulled off the road, the driver must display a mandatory reflective triangle 200 meters behind the car and wear a reflective orange vest, as well as carry an emergency first aid kit.

Germany is so well prepared, that it's strange to see so many cars in TX out of fuel in a fuel-producing region with a hurricane moving a mere 16 miles per hour, on the coattails of the devastating Katrina.

[nadinbrzezinski]

21. Hey in third world Mexico when there were fuel

shortages my ambulance got first of line privilidge.... (Since I lived across the border in San Diego, a couple times we just went across and I paid for the gas tank)

The point is, we had right of way at teh fuel station, and damn it USED IT more than once. Amazing that even a developing world nation can do this huh?