OVER A BARREL: Army Sgt. Adama Ilbouda (left) and Tech. Sgt. David Tayler (right) distribute FEMA fuel at the Staten Island Armory. (Reuters)
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Desperate drivers waited in hours-long lines for gasoline yesterday — as officials warned that it will still be several days before supplies get back to normal.
About half of the city’s 242 gas stations had lines that extended for blocks, with motorists trying to fuel their cars and people trying to fill jugs.
At the Hess station on Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, there were cars in a 10-block line from 30th to 39th streets, and a second block-long line for emergency vehicles.
And in a third line, 80 people lined up about 100-feet long to pump fuel into canisters.
“We’re not 100 percent sure when the system will be up and running where you won’t feel any effect whatsoever,” Gov. Cuomo said yesterday.
He urged New Yorkers not to drive if they didn’t need to.
“Now is not the time to be hoarding fuel. This just causes and increased demand for gas,” he said.
There “are continuing issues with the fuel delivery and distribution system,” Cuomo said, adding it’s a “short-term” problem because fuel deliveries are resuming.
Still, two New Jersey refineries and 10 regional petroleum terminals remain off-line, according to the Department of Energy.
The demand was so desperate that some opportunists on Craigslist offered a gallon of fuel for $20 — and some gas stations imposed limits on how much customers could buy.
“We waited for two hours, and we were almost at the front of the line when they cut it off,” said Miguel Mejia, at the Hess station in Sunset Park.
Some motorists were luckier.
“They ran out before we could fill up the tank, so we only got $21 worth, but that will last awhile,” said Jeremy Ranieri. “The guy before me only got 45 cents before it shut off on him.”
He and fiancée Amber Fox bought cookies for the cops and National Guardsmen maintaining order and fueling up emergency vehicles.
In New Jersey — where gas is being rationed by license-plate numbers — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told residents that as electricity comes online, more fuel will be available.
“A lot of power has been restored. A lot remains to be restored,” Napolitano said.
And Gov. Chris Christie encouraged people to make the morning commute tomorrow.
“I think people should try to get back to work tomorrow,” he said. “All the state roads are clear except for four.”