Originally Posted by Orgasmics

I'm just west of Atlanta and prices are running $3-$5+/gal. All of the gas stations have huge lines and quite a few have even run out of gas. There have also been reports of violence (physical & guns) as people fight for the pumps. Many of our local police are manning the gas stations this afternoon. I haven't even ventured out, I think I'll just hang out at home and let all the panicked people have fun together. People are really losin' it around here.

"Katrina forced operators to close more than a tenth of the country's refining capacity and a quarter of its oil production, which sent gasoline prices surging. Two major pipelines that supply gasoline to key terminals and distribution centers within the eastern U.S. were shut down due to power outages caused by the storm."