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Gasoline Insanity

Once again, the mob proves it isn't capable of handling a stressful situation. As Katrina's memory fades, the damage becomes more evident. Much of New Orleans is under water, but Zeppelin knew of it more than 34 years ago. I watched today as gas prices jumped from $2.95 to $3.39 during the course of seven hours, spurred by a sudden explosion of demand, which was itself caused by ridiculous rumors that all the gas pumps around Atlanta would be closing at 4pm. Of course, such sudden demand was bound to cause short-term shortages at individual stations, and it did. The BP on 14th Street just northwest of campus had pulled out the plastic bags, covering all the pump nozzles to let people know that they need not form lines, just keep driving. Later, Governor Purdue froze gasoline prices citing price gouging upward of $5/gallon.

When I got home, I found the scene above: people determined to fill their gas guzzlers, as if such early action would stave off any future problems. Of course, if there were a shortage, a full tank isn't going to last you more than a few days. Get a grip, people. There are worse problems occurring than our gasoline prices, so let's keep things in perspective, ok?

Locally, Tech participated in one of the refuge operations. According to Heather Phillips, a CS student with whom I worked with at Summer ICE Camp, several hundred Tulane students showed up at Tech Wednesday morning around 5:30am. Their entire campus (about 600-700 first-year students) had evacuated a few days earlier; those unable to find transportation were bussed to Jackson St. in Mississippi to sleep in JSU's gym. Once the hurricane reached that part of the state, power was lost and they soon lost water as well. As airline ticket prices rose above $600 in many cases, students became stranded. The group was then split in half and bussed to Dallas, TX and Atlanta (GA), where Tech took over housing the Atlanta group in the Student Center theater as well as the 2nd floor couches.

By the end of Wednesday, many students had found flights home, but some international students will be in Atlanta for some time. Since New Orleans faces such huge devastation, the students are completely uninformed about the status of their recently moved-in belongings, and it's likely that Tulane will find this semester cancelled. Heather mentioned that one student from Brazil, who can't afford to return anytime soon, was looking into possibly taking classes at Tech this semester. I say more power to her!

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