News 12 at 6, September 22, 2008

AUGUSTA--Nearly a week and a half since Hurricane Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast, a number of gas stations in the Augusta area are still out of fuel. And others are asking you not to pump more than 10 gallons.

It's simple supply and demand. Right now, there is just too much demand on not enough supply.

Gasoline. Everyone needs it, but right now, not every station has it. And just about everyone has an opinion on why it's in short supply.

But reality is reality. A number of stations in the Augusta area are out of gas. It's been a week and a half since Hurricane Ike hit and there continues to be a gasoline problem here.

Most stations got re-supplied with gas last week, but over the course of the weekend, many of them ran out again.

The Georgia Association of Convenience Stores says supply lines still aren't running at quite full capacity--- but the biggest issue is people maintaining a panic mode.

Experts say the biggest problem isn't hurricanes or other disasters, it's people filling up when their tank isn't empty.

That is also playing a role in keeping the price up here. There is a big demand on the little amount of fuel coming in, so that keeps the price up.

In addition to that, the Georgia tax on fuel is percentage based. So when the price goes up, the tax amount increases more than states with a flat tax. It all adds up to you paying up more when you fill up.

Once the supply issues get worked out, we're told the prices should adjust pretty quickly. But when that will be, we couldn't get an answer to that.