Locals React to End of Gas Rationing

Signs of Long Island's post-Sandy gas crisis are largely gone. Gas lines and frustrated expressions are a surprisingly seldom sight only one week after the worst of it all.

At 200 BP gas station on Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station Friday, owner Raj Mahte said he's glad to see the "bizarre" times of the crunch become yesterday's news.

"It was quite bad until the rationing," he said, "We had lines up the street and cops helping us control customers."

Since rationing was instituted to regulate epic gas lines Saturday, things have gone relatively back to normal, so much so that Suffolk officials announced an end to the odd-even system as of Friday night.

"They should have instituted it sooner," said one woman at the gas station. "It would have helped avoid a lot of the chaos."

Price gouging was another issue that some Sandy victims faced at the pumps. Now, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman is investigating 13 gas stations throughout the state accused of taking advantage of emergency needs, according to a story by Business Insider.

"They think that they can raise their prices just because we're in need," one man said at the station. "It's terrible, though I think the regular prices are gouging as it is."

Mahte said that gas pricing depends upon a number of factors and is largely up to the supplier, though he shied away from more detail. "The prices increased right after the storm, and then they went back down," he said.

Did you experience price gouging after Hurricane Sandy? Do you think rationing was effective? Tell us in the comments.