Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef reached out to state officials on Thursday to warn them the county faces a gas shortage as a result of the recent closure of the Port of New York, and ongoing power outages at gas suppliers. He also asked residents to conserve fuel and to be paitent until new supplies arrive.
Gas station managers have said they have no firm idea of when their next deliveries would arrive because their gas suppliers do not have power and have been unable to make their regular deliveries. Residents began lining up Thursday at stations to get their tanks filled or get more fuel for generators. Some waited as long as three hours.
Many stations closed because of flooding because of Hurricane Sandy or they did not have power to operate the pumps. Others simply ran out of gas.
“I encourage consumers to conserve fuel and avoid unnecessary driving as stations are being reopened and restocked,” said Vanderhoef. “In addition, the county will do all in its power to ensure that emergency responders and other essential service providers requesting fuel have an adequate supply."
