Gas Supplies Still Tight Across Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA -- Gas shortages and long lines continue all across Metro Atlanta. After days of this, tempers are heating up. Police officers are responding to more and more fights at the pumps.

Stations across north Georgia have had their pumps run dry, despite statements from officials saying that panic on the part of consumers is responsible for the gas crisis.

Employees at many gas stations that have gas are directing traffic themselves, in order to make sure that the vehicles coming in get through the station quickly and easily. Many stations that have gas are limiting dollar amounts in order to maximize the number of customers they are able to serve. Other stations find themselves with only regular available.

Some motorists are actually following tanker trucks, hoping they can get in line to get gas from whatever gas station the truck goes to with its precious cargo.

Truck driver Linzell Bourn had to call police at one station on Wednesday.

"Traffic was getting backed up, and people were arguing over the pump -- who's first," he said.

Cobb County Police spokesman Dana Pierce said the gas situation means lots of traffic around gas stations, and tempers flaring.

"Basically the sheer number of cars swarming the stations is, for lack of a better term, organized chaos," Pierce said. "That's why we're beginning to shift the focus back on the station itself."

Going from one station to another is truly becoming an adventure for some -- especially those who live in the suburbs. Motorists in the suburbs are finding it even more difficult to find stations that have gas.

One gas station and convenience store owner in Winder has not had gas at his station in seven days. Many stations in outlying areas are left high and dry -- and closed completely. Motorists drive for miles, passing many stations without gas, in their search for a filling station with gas to sell.

When asked about gas supplies, Gov. Sonny Perdue said, "We're on fuel calls each morning, and many of the refineries are back up. Some, about half, are back up. Half are not back up. We're still getting a percentage of full capacity in the lines. Hopefully within a few days. I'm hoping within five days, we can see the capacity back up."

Speaking with Perdue, 11Alive's Jon Shirek said, "We're hearing from Democrats and some others who believe if you had acted sooner, we wouldn't be seeing the long lines we're seeing today."

"That's what the opposing party always says, is that you didn't do what you should have done, fast enough, soon enough," Perdue said. "That's what being a Democrat is all about, is trying to tell those of us in government, while they had it for 135 years."

The Georgia Petroleum Council says there's no need to panic, we're not going to run out, but they add that supplies will be tight for perhaps another week or longer.