Louisiana Gas Prices Could Rise Dramatically Over the Next 2 Weeks
In an interview with the Louisiana Radio Network, Patrick De Haan, Gas Buddy's Petroleum Analyst, says that because of the devastation of Hurricane Ida, the price of gas in Louisiana could go up from five to fifteen cents a gallon over the next couple of weeks.
De Haan says, “In fact, so many refineries are down in Louisiana that this is likely to have an impact on the national average, it’s really contingent on how long it takes to restore some of these refineries.”
In some parts of the Bayou State, especially the Hurricane Ida ravaged areas, gasoline is almost impossible to find, leaving the City of Hammond and leaders of Ascension Parish begging for gas for their citizens, so the price at the pump is the least of their concerns. However, for the remainder of the state, it's hard to budget for an overnight increase, but De Haan says we probably won't see that.
According to De Haan, "It will likely be more measured in pennies per day for a couple of days at least that this point. The situation could worsen though, we could see prices rise a little bit more if the refineries remain down for several weeks."
De Haan did add that one of Louisiana's refineries was hit hard by the floodwaters and that could be really bad news. “That may lead to some extended downtime at least at one facility, we will have to see what the word is on the rest of them, to understand if the price impact will be more severe or longer-lasting.”