I wondered here if there was a true shortage of gasoline in N.C. and now learn that we do have a shortfall due to power outages in LA, Miss., and Ala. that shut down the pumps needed to move fuel through pipelines from Texas to the mid-Alantic states.

The local story:

“City Announces Short-Term Shortage Of Gas” … City leaders in Charlotte expect a short-term gas shortage because a main gas line in the southeast part of the United States is without energy.

North Carolina Governor Mike Easley said gas stations across the state haven’t been resupplied since Sunday, and are starting to run low on fuel.

The stations usually keep a five- to seven-day supply on hand. But Gulf Coast fuel supplies have been cut off by Hurricane Katrina.

Roughly 90 percent of North Carolina’s gas comes from pipelines that originate in Texas and go through storm-ravaged areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

[...]

UPDATE, Vodkapundit: “Gas Panic” in Georgia.
I fear Vodkapundit’s information is just the tip of the iceberg. The governor of N.C. has been caught in several lies over the past few hours and things appear to be spiraling out of control in this state because no one wants to admit the truth. The pipelines are out of business and it will be weeks before all is back to normal! . . . . FL 9/1/05 – 12:11 pm.

MapSexOffenders.com is a site for looking up sex offenders that are registered to live in your area.

H/T: What Attitude Problem?

Earlier I posted “Be Happy Where You Are” because of a report from my brother in E. Tennessee and one from my daughter in N.C. My brother saw gas prices jump from $2.80 gal. to $3.80 in less than two hours. We live 20 miles NE of Charlotte, N.C. and my daughter saw gas lines over 100 cars long.

I don’t think there’s a shortage; Its a matter of perception. If the public BELIEVES there MAY be a shortage and panics into topping off their tanks, the proverbial stuff will hit the fan.

Some don’t remember the infamous “shortage” of 1974. — the long lines; paying people to sit on line for you; then the pump is out or closes to save some for the next day; spending the night in the car to get near the front. — It was later determined that there was no actual shortage but that didn’t matter. People THOUGHT there was a shortage, and they wanted the security of full tanks in all of their cars. — The distribution system isn’t designed for that depth of saturation.

I’m retired and we’ll be fine. I just hope the rest of the country keeps its cool.

UPDATE I: WaPo, “Gas Prices Leap in Katrina’s Aftermath”

UPDATE II, experts: “$4 a gallon gas coming soon”

UPDATE III, the Gov. speaks: “NC Silliness…” (oh well, its N.C.)

Ankle Biting Pundits:

Windy Cindy:
“George is finished playing golf and telling his fables in San Diego, so he will be heading to Louisiana to see the devastation that his environmental policies and his killing policies have caused.”

She “Got A Call From Who?”

BullDogPundit has posted a winner!

ABP:
Cindy … Repeats Lie About Bush-And Got A Call From Who?

My brother just called from where he lives near Knoxville, Tennessee.

He went to a doctor’s appointment and started to stop for gas but realized he might be a little late. After the appointment, less than two hours later, the gas prices were $1.00 higher.

OK, Libertarians, lets hear it. All in unison, now:
No government! No government! No government! NONE!

UPDATE: My daughter just returned from a trip to the store (N.C., 20 miles NE of Charlotte) and found gas lines at Sam’s Club were over 100 cars long. She filled up at a nearby convenience store but the mutterings of store employees at both Sam’s and the convenience store were ominous.

Gateway Pundit has pictures of the tragedy in Baghdad — 640 dead after a railing gave way on a bridge over the Tigris River.

Today, in an unprecedented move, President Bush’s Cabinet officers held a news conference to describe their roles and plans to provide assistance for Hurricane Katrina’s victims and victim’s families.

Led by the Department of Homeland Security’s Michael Chertoff, the departments laid out specific assistance ranging from rescue to medical support as well as long term solutions aimed at meeting human needs. The officials expanded on plans that had been announced earlier.

One by one the departments of homeland security, health and human services, transportation, energy, justice, DoD, commerce and labor as well as other federal departments and agencies pledged resources and support that would be forthcoming immediately and made available to individuals, families and state and local authorities. Each made the point that federal activity would be proactive and prevenient, not laid back waiting to be called upon.

Mark Steyn’s new column in Steyn Online talks about the “Left’s Extras.” He wonders: “What would you say the most famous African country in America was right now?” and before I can answer he chooses Niger, which is what I was going to say.

We wanted Niger for different reasons. I’ve become enamoured with “Niger” because I’ve learned that it can be pronounced more ways than “tomato.” Steyn wanted it as a segue to talk about Joseph Wilson and to make the point that Wilson, Niger, et al, are just “extras” in the Left’s “soap opera” of life.

To illustrate, he says:

I bumped into a leftie acquaintance who was convinced Karl Rove was about to be brought down for his campaign against the Wilsons for “telling the truth” about Niger. “Ah, Niger,” I said. “Eight hundred thousand dying kids.”

“Really?” he said, nonplussed but only momentarily, and barely pausing for breath he was soon speculating wildly about whether Rove’s “lies” would also bring down Rice and Cheney. To the left, Niger is what Alfred Hitchcock used to call “the MacGuffin”: the thing — the secret papers, the formula — that kickstarts the plot and gets Cary Grant on the run. [...]

At another place he says:

Great events are taking place around the globe, and the left has no interest in them except as twists in a dreary soap opera of neocon Beltway bogeymen most Americans have never even heard of. The hapless citizenry of Niger — or Iraq or Afghanistan — fulfill the same function as the natives in a British Empire yarn or the Injuns in an old western: they’re extras filling out the background in a story about competing factions of A-list white guys.

To the NYT’s implication that Bush is responsible for some guy in Burundi getting arrested, Steyn says:

“Whoa, hold up a moment. This guy in Burundi, he’s a “repercussion” of the Judith Miller case? Like Burundi was a beacon of press freedom until they got the word from the Bush Administration that you can toss journalists in the slammer? Tell it to — to pluck at random — the guys at In-Burundi.net who were beaten up by gendarmes in Bujumbura three years ago.”

Oh, those guys. Now I remember.

I’m compiling a list of countries whose governments pledge assistance for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

UPDATED: here.

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. Israel
4. Japan
5. South Korea
6. Taiwan
7. UK/Northern Ireland
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

This is an open post. I’ll add countries as they become known. Also, I’ll add the U.N. and the amount of it’s pledge as soon as Kofi Annan releases the information.

UPDATE: ReliefWeb is also tracking Katrina pledges.

H/T: A Certain Slant of Light: Bernard reports that there may be a technical problem at the U.N. Web site because his searches for “Katrina” doesn’t produce any results. Ah, there’s an open request for $88 mil for food for Malawi. — Er, maybe the problem is fixed? “Annan expresses sympathy…” — Oh, another missive.

UPDATE II: The Anchoress: “No help from Amazon, Google, Yahoo, MSN, eBay — Amazon said: ‘The American Red Cross can handle it.’ ” All raised money for tsunami victims.
“Tech community joins tsunami relief effort”

UPDATE III: Thanks Anchoress — Yahoo now has a link to: Network for Good and Amazon has a link to the American Red Cross. — Maybe we’re making progress.

UPDATE IV: Amazon.com to Gulf Coast: Drop Dead

An Amazon spokesperson said that the online retailer had no plans to post a donation link on its site. “Each case is different,” she said. “The Red Cross has essentially given over its entire site to donations. The tsunami came out of the blue, so it was an ‘all hands on deck’ situation, but the Red Cross has been getting ready for this and getting its message out there for several days.”

HughHewitt: “UPDATE, At 2:45 Pacific, we heard from Amazon that the company has changed its mind. Some one must have gotten around to asking Jeff Bezos.” … “This will get a lot of my airtime today.”

UPDATE V: Marc Landers of USS Neverdock is tracking NGO donations in Europe. — Bernard at A Certain Slant of Light — Michelle at Michelle Malkin — Arthur at Bad Hair Day — All report that some countries have stepped up and are offering help. I can’t confirm it because limited information came through a press release from an aide to Kofi Annan. The release talks about help whenever the U.S. gets the costs added up. … Huh?

Washington moves to help Katrina’s victims

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal emergency agencies moved to help victims of Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday, while President Bush considered tapping U.S. emergency oil supplies.

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs. He said about 6,500 National Guard troops were available in Louisiana, about 7,000 in Mississippi, nearly 10,000 in Alabama and about 8,200 in Florida.

– The Federal Aviation Administration said airports were closed in New Orleans and Baton Rouge; Biloxi, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama; Pensacola, Florida, and Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

– The Coast Guard closed ports and waterways along the Gulf Coast and positioned craft around the area to conduct post-hurricane search and rescue operations.

– The Defense Department dispatched emergency coordinators to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi to provide communications equipment, search and rescue operations, medical teams and other emergency assistance.

– The Environmental Protection Agency dispatched emergency crews to Louisiana and Texas because of concern about oil and chemical spills.

– The Agriculture Department said its Food and Nutrition Service would provide meals and other commodities, such as infant formula, distilled water for babies and emergency food stamps.

– The Health and Human Services Department sent 38 doctors and nurses to Jackson, Miss., to be used where needed, and 30 pallets of medical supplies to the region, including first aid materials, sterile gloves and oxygen tanks.

– The 1st U.S. Army, based at Fort Gillem near Atlanta, has 1,600 National Guard troops who were training to go to Iraq. They will be available to assist the states, if necessary.

– The American Red Cross said it had thousands of volunteers mobilized for the hurricane. It was the “largest single mobilization that we’ve done for any single natural disaster,” spokesman Bradley Hague said. The organization set up operational headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.