AAA advises Georgians not to panic buy gas ahead of Hurricane Ian

THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WALB) - With Hurricane Ian approaching Georgia, many residents may be wondering whether or not they should stock up on essentials like gas.

Representatives from AAA told WALB that while people should be prepared for the storm, there is no need to panic buy or stock up on gas.

However, Montrae Waiters, a AAA spokesperson, says people should be prepared in case they need to evacuate by making sure their tanks are full.

However, she says that Southwest Georgia has not seen a lot of people stocking up on gas for one particular reason.

“No. We have not seen here in Georgia an influx of folks going out and so to speak ‘panic buying’ with gas,” Waiters said. “There is no need to panic buy. We have plenty of supply here within the state of Georgia. Even with folks who will be possibly maybe evacuating our way.”

She says fuel disruptions will likely only occur if the southern refineries find themselves damaged by Hurricane Ian.

WALB went to gas stations around Thomasville and talked to residents who said they were not stocking up on gas.

“I’m not. I’m just going to try to just get gas like I normally would,” Thomasville resident, Jordan Williams said. “Because I don’t want to contribute to any kind of panic buying. I’ve been through several hurricanes and I know it’s been kind of difficult to get gas sometimes.”

However, Linda Conti, who works in Thomasville, said that due to her job and her hearing that a few local gas stations were shutting down, she decided to fill up.

“We always take precautions because we do see- I work for a mobile unit here at a local hospital,” Conti said. “And we do see clients and patients in their homes, so we do take precautions to make sure that we have enough gas.”

Waiters went on to say that people should also have things like an emergency kit in their cars full of things like medication, snacks and chargers in case they need to evacuate.

Copyright 2022 WALB. All rights reserved.