KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffFinger Points at Hurricane Ike for Higher Gas Prices

Finger Points at Hurricane Ike for Higher Gas Prices

Finger Points at Hurricane Ike for Higher Gas Prices
By: Crystal Britt

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - The finger points at Hurricane Ike for the reason gas prices have increased across the country.

It's fueling fears of what the storm might do to oil refineries along the gulf.

Some stations in South Carolina had gas over $5 a gallon Friday.

It's not that high in the Heartland, but we are seeing increases too, even causing the popular gas station Basic Fuel to temporairly shut down.

The prices are sporadic across the Heartland.  In Sikeston alone Heartland News found a 42 cent difference from gas station to gas station.  The Rhodes on main wss $3.89 a gallon Friday while right across the street at Fast Gas, it was $4.19.  Gas hit $4.29 for regular unleaded in Delta.

"I went down the street and came back five minutes and already jumped 10 cents," said Shannan Gillespie of Charleston referring to the Huck's station that changed from $3.79 to $3.89.

"You gotta pay for gas.  You gotta pay for gas," said Zach Bohnert of Sikeston. "There's nothing you can do if it goes up."

But, gas station owner David Lemmon is doing something.  Actually it's what he's not doing.

On Thursday he closed his Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Perryville, and Sikeston stores.

"I'm not going to buy $6, $7, $8 gallon gasoline and try and sell it," Lemmon said.

He says he'd let his gas inventory run low, anticipating buying more at a lower price.

Then, came Hurricane Ike.

"This storm is an unknown. That's why they [oil refineries] are raising the prices the way they are," Lemmon said.

"This supplier over a two day period raised the price $1.62," he said.

So if he bought from that gulf refinery Friday, he says he'd pay $5.06 a gallon.  So you'd pay about $5.16.

He did find cheaper fuel in Springfield, Missouri enabling him to re-open his four businesses.

"We have enough fuel to run today, tomorrow and Monday," Lemmon said.

After that, he says he'll just play it by ear.

So for now, it's all up to something that's out of our control.

"It all hinges on what Ike will do," Lemmon said.

Meaning, it's anyone's guess what we can expect next at the pump.

Lemmon says that fuel he bought came from the colonial pipeline out of Oklahoma that as of Friday was not affected by Ike.