State Issues Price Gouging Fines

The number of gas stations under investigation for price gouging is up to 200. The charges came in the wake of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike last fall. So far, nine stations across the state have been fined for inflating prices when gas was scarce in September and October. Some of the stations simply have to refund money to customers who can prove with a receipt they bought gas during the gouging. Others have to pay up to $5,000 in fines to the state. The state received about 2,000 complaints from residents, some alleging stations charged them as much as $9.99 a gallon.

(Associated Press)

State gets waiver to help gasoline supply

Governor Sonny Perdue’s office says the waiver of a clean-burning fuel requirement should help "somewhat" in the aim to boost supplies of gasoline in a 45-county area of the state. Tuesday, federal environmental officials granted Perdue’s request for the waiver, which extends through October 12th. It applies to a swath of counties from the Alabama state line to the north Georgia mountains. The waiver allows more of the "dirtier"-burning gas to flow either through pipelines, or to arrive by truck delivery from as far away as Ohio and Pennsylvania. Many gas stations in certain pockets of the state, especially metro Atlanta, have been running dry. The gas outages have sparked long lines at stations with supplies on-hand. The gas shortage is a direct effect of recent hurricanes in the Gulf. Officials say it could take another week or two for some refineries to get up-and-running to full capacity.

State gasoline supply still uneven

Some Georgians are still dealing with spotty supply of gasoline at some stations across the state. Officials say refineries in the Gulf are still ramping-up production from disruptions caused by hurricanes over the past month. The current average for a gallon of regular unleaded this morning in Georgia stands at $3.97--that is down 2-cents from yesterday, but it still is 23-cents higher than the national average. The high price in Georgia is in the Columbus area, with an average of $4.04 a gallon.

UPDATE: Tropical Storm Hanna

Tropical storm Hanna is still headed toward South Carolina. Landfall is expected Friday; however, Georgia Emergency Management Agency officials say, “Hanna’s path can still shift to Georgia.” Overnight the storm did not gain momentum, but scientists predict it will gain speed and strength. By the end of today officials should decide whether or not to issue a voluntary evacuation for coastal residents, especially those residing on the barrier islands.

'Hanna' could affect Georgia

Even with the current focus on 'Gustav', forecasters have a wary eye on the Atlantic, where Tropical Storm Hanna is churning within 100 miles of the Bahamas.

This is a storm forecasters say Georgians need to follow closely. Mike Griesinger of the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City says the current projection--although several days out--puts ‘Hanna’ on a path for Georgia’s coast by perhaps Friday afternoon:

"That forecast kind of falls in the middle of them, but there’s about 10 or so models and they take it anywhere from Daytona to Charleston".

Griesinger says residents from Brunswick to Savannah should refresh their plans for hurricane preparations.

‘Hanna’ at last check was moving very slowly--only two miles-an-hour, with sustained winds near 50 mph.

Officials with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency have already activated their emergency planning. GEMA’s Kandice Eldon says they expect the state operations center to be in full-operation Tuesday.

"We’re talking staffing now...there are meetings right now with GEMA officials to talk about what steps to take next. But we do have people who are in our operations center now monitoring the storm and taking part in conference calls. Tomorrow, we’ll definitely see an influx of more agencies and representatives in our operations center".

Eldon urges coastal residents right now to reacquaint themselves with hurricane evacuation routes, and make sure they have fully-stocked disaster kits.

Hurricane Watch: Tropical Storm Faye UPDATE

South Georgia could be in-line for some effects of Tropical Storm Fay. A hurricane watch is now posted for a 150-mile stretch of coastline from Florida to Georgia. The storm has followed an erratic path--forecasters say it could linger along the coast and pick-up strength before turning back toward Florida, and perhaps becoming a hurricane. Some projections right now indicate 10 to 20 inches of rain could fall over portions of southern Georgia.

Stay tuned to GPB for continuing updates on the storm on our radio network, and through our Georgia News blog accessed through our website--gpb.org

Tropical storm could bring Georgia heavy rain

Drought-stricken north Georgia could see a good dose of rain later this week, courtesy of what’s happening now in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Fay has already hit Cuba, and is setting its sights on the Florida Keys. The storm could get hurricane status later today. Much needed rain for Georgia could arrive later this week. Current projections have the storm moving into south Georgia by the early morning hours of Thursday. The parched area of north Georgia could experience strong rainfall later Thursday into Friday.

More storms predicted

An expert says more hurricanes than he expected could hit the Atlantic Ocean this year. Former Colorado State University climatologist William Gray says not 15 but 17 storms will brew this season. He says five of the hurricanes will be major. We are in the midst of hurricane season … which runs through the end of November.

La Nina could bring more hurricanes

Cooler waters in the Pacific Ocean might mean more hurricanes in coastal Georgia. Today the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said La Nina is developing. La Nina is a cooling of waters that generally brings a more active Atlantic Hurricane season. La Nina is the counterpart of El Nino, a warming of Pacific waters that creates a less conducive environment for tropical cyclones.

Coastal Georgians less worried about hurricanes

Coastal Southerners are getting complacent about the dangers of hurricanes, according to a new poll. The survey by a Harvard University professor found that one in three southeasterners who live within 20 miles of the coast – including Georgia -- would not leave their home if a storm came through. That’s up from one in only four last year. Reasons people gave for not leaving included that they think their homes are safe, the roads would be too crowded, and it would be dangerous to leave. The poll found 78% felt prepared if a major hurricane struck their community in the next six months. 31% said they would not evacuate. 5% said their decision would depend on the circumstances.