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Gas lines grow citywide in post-Sandy scramble

photo by Terence M. Cullen
Locals wait in line for gas outside a Douglaston service station.

Around 10 a.m. on Saturday, dozens of people lined up outside the BP station at Marathon Parkway and the Horace Harding Expressway in Douglaston, waiting for gas. Within 30 minutes, the tank had run dry.

Similar lines at the pump are popping up all over the city as post-Hurricane Sandy clean-up efforts continue. A Gulf station on Utopia Parkway near St. John’s University had gas for roughly 45 minutes before running out.

Even stations that promised they would have gas by the weekend are falling short.

“We haven’t gotten a delivery yet, but once we get one we’ll be up and running,” said Ami Majid, manager of Nomi & Shani Service Station on 31st Street in Astoria.

As a temporary fix, the governor’s office says 5,000 gallon trucks will be deployed to distribute free gas at various points throughout the city. Each car, which can fill up directly from the truck, will be limited to 10 gallons of gas.

The gas truck in Queens will be located at:

Queens Armory
93-05 160th Street
Jamaica, NY 11433