Motorists burned by Hurricane Sandy fuel shortages scrambled to gas stations yesterday as winter storm Nemo hit — only to again find long lines and empty pumps.
More than 10 percent of service stations on Long Island ran out of gas by early afternoon — along with the so-called Inwood terminal in Lawrence, a major supply depot in the area where gas-delivery tankers fill up.
“You can’t blame the consumers. They’ve lost faith in LIPA,” said Kevin Beyer, president of the Long Island Gasoline Retailers, referring to the utility company that was harshly criticized for lengthy power outages after Sandy.
“They feel there’s going to be interrupted power, and they’re filling up their cars and generators,” Beyer said.
Long lines plagued drivers at pumps around the region.
At one point there was a 12-car line at the Shell station at Northern Boulevard and 98th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens.
“I’ve been here for a half-hour,” said Maria Sanchez, 45, of Jackson Heights, as she filled up.
“I think people are being more cautious with what happened during Sandy.”
Another motorist said she had tried three other gas stations in Queens — and all had run out.
“Stations in New York are out of gas — this is amazing,” said Kathy Herra, who lives in Whitestone and finally found fuel at the Shell. “I feel like everyone is falling apart.”
At the same station, Forest Hills resident Debra Gaitan was there in her Honda Accord, “filling up because I want to be prepared. I don’t want to be stranded or on long lines.”
And in Jersey City, NJ, near the Holland Tunnel entrance, Gulf station manager Susan Patella said customers had been using his pumps “nonstop, all day.”
“I’m afraid I’m gonna run out of gas,” Patella said.
“We actually pumped, by 11 o’clock this morning, what we do in a day. Because everybody’s afraid of the storm. Because look what happened with Sandy.”