In Pike County, around 11,000 residents are without power following Hurricane Ida and are relying on gas-powered generators to keep their food cold and wash their clothes. Families from Louisiana that fled Hurricane Ida are beginning to return to their homes and are stopping to get gas in McComb before the final stretch of road back into Louisiana. In the city, this has created a high demand for gas, and several stations have exhausted their supply. McComb resident Conner Wallace is waiting in line at one of the few stations that remain open.
“Nobody around us has power. We’ve was doing okay for the past couple of days, but with this gas situation we can’t really find gas because we just ran out actually,” says Wallace. “Everybody needs gas so there’s not really a foul way to play, it’s just if you get there first, you get there first.”
Some Louisiana residents have been unable to find fuel near their homes. David Robinson of Hammond says his family was hit hard by the storm and says his cousin died as a result of the hurricane. Now, Robinson has driven 100 miles to fuel up his car so he can go to work in the morning.
“But they ain’t got no gas down there man. I got a job and they want me back there tomorrow. A lot of people lost a lot of stuff down there, my mom lost a lot of stuff down there,” says Robinson. “I done stopped at about 50 different gas stations. They’re all sold out. I’m in a whole other state getting gas. It’s bad, tragic man.”
Local Emergency Management officials say it could take up to two weeks to restore power to all residents in Pike County.