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EASTCHESTER, N.Y. While the Gulf Coast prepares to clean up the mess from Hurricane Isaac, residents in Eastchester may soon feel the residual effects as gas prices are rising to record levels following the storms landfall.
Just in time for the last heavy driving weekend of the summer, the Category 1 storm is wreaking havoc with gas prices nationally. According to AAA New York spokesperson Robert Sinclair Jr., the average price of gas has risen from $3.71 to $3.82. In New York, the increase was less severe, rising four cents to an average of $3.99 a gallon.
At the beginning of the month, the cheapest gas in Eastchester was selling for $3.78 a gallon at American, with premium available for $4.03. According to GasBuddy.com, prices have risen by more than a quarter, and regular gas is now available for $4.04 a gallon.
Were not feeling the effects of Isaac as much as other regions in the country. This hurricane is far weaker than Katrina was, Sinclair said. We havent heard a word on actual damage to refineries or pipelines, but several companies suspended operations, and others dont have electricity.
Gas prices began rising before the hurricane hit, as companies sought shelter from the storm, and are expected to continue to increase, Sinclair said. Prices typically peak in the middle of the summer and begin to decrease around Labor Day. And, with the latest increase, gas prices will be as high as theyve been all year, he said.
We probably wont see the hit we saw in 2005, when prices went up 44 cents a gallon in the week following Katrina, he said. Nationally we peaked in April at $3.84 a gallon, so well beat that soon.
A lot of the major oil infrastructure is in the Gulf Coast, Sinclair said. They are a major source of distribution, and there are many pipelines that emanate and go to the rest of the country. With the storm reaching land, it is going to greatly affect the rest of the country.
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