Gas Prices After Hurricane Sandy.

            All week there has been talk about Hurricane Sandy. “Don’t take this lightly” and “please, listen to authorities.” I’m sure it’ll be nothing, though. It never is. After all, we’re in New York, we don’t get hurricanes here. Hopefully Jersey makes out okay, though.. Anyway, I got home from work and decided to take a few precautions. I brought in my porch furniture and my plants and made sure all the windows were locked up tight. I decided to break out the generator on a whim, and boy was I lucky I did that.

            That night, I was watching a rerun of Criminal Minds when I start to hear the wind pick up and the rain starts hitting the roof pretty hard. I take note, but quickly return to my episode. After all, I have to find out how Morgan is the hero this time! About ten minutes later, I take notice of the rain and even hear some thunder. I begin to think maybe I should start to get some stuff together when the power goes out. Well, great, now I’m going to miss the end of the episode.

I get up, slip my slippers on, and make my way to the kitchen to get some candles and a flashlight. All the sudden, all hell breaks loose! The wind is whipping around my little house with, well, hurricane forces! The rain is pounding the windows, lighting lights up the sky, temporarily blinding me. Thunder is crashing at near deafening decibels. Turns out, this hurricane is actually something! I rush to the basement with my flashlight and some extra batteries. I even think to grad some pillows and a blanket. Now, all I can do is wait thins thing out. Easy enough to say when it doesn't sound like your house is coming down around you.

I must have finally fallen asleep somehow because I woke up the next morning to complete silence; somehow, this lack of sound woke me. I sit up and thank God I’m okay and wasn't hurt. I walk upstairs to check out the damage. Miraculously, my house is still standing around me. I walk outside and notice the shutters are missing, but who really liked those anyway. I walk out back and see the tree fell on the garage and the garage made it through. In fact, it’s holding the tree up and preventing it from crushing the car I’m too lazy to park inside the garage. I look around and thank God a few more times that I’m okay and my house, and garage, made it through this storm. I thought for sure the house was gone.

I walk back inside, more grateful than I ever thought I would be, and flick the light switch. Nothing happens. Well, you can’t have everything, I thought to myself. Good thing I got the generator out! But, alas, I forgot to get gas. I decide to go get some and I will never forget this as long as I live. I walk a few blocks to the nearest gas station and find a line a mile long. Well, crap.. Well, I’ll wait it out. 2 hours later I finally make my way to the front and the sign reads $4.89!! $4.89 a gallon for gas! What the heck! I finally make my way in and decide to really lay it on the cashier for charging people so much. His response: “Sorry, Charlie. It’s my boss, not me. That’ll be 50 bucks.” Stunned, I pay the kid, take my ten gallons of gas and work my way home.

As days went by without any sign of restored electricity, I had more time to think about the fact that these money- grubbing jerks have the audacity to charge $4.89 a gallon when just the day before it was around $3.25. People were being forced to pay these ridiculous mark ups to live after a disaster! New York was a mess and these people want to make a quick buck! I was outraged and wanted to do something. But, I couldn't. I had no money, no electricity and New York is in shambles.

6 months later, all is well. The damage from Sandy is being cleaned up, electricity is back, and people are moving about their lives. I’m watching the news one night and see an article about a man who is suing these gas stations that were marking up prices! Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is suing the gas stations and passing a law that includes a provision against price gouging, he called it, especially during natural disasters. Well, it’s good to see that those jerks got what was coming to them. Now, New York just has to clean up and move on from this whole thing.