Superstorm Sandy created a countless number of issues for New Jersey residents, including not being able to get gasoline for several days because gas stations were without power. 

Lines for gas were long following Sandy, not because fuel was in short supply but simply because so many stations lost power and therefore couldn't pump the gas out of its tanks. 

“The system collapses very quickly, and you have to become self-reliant,” says Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik.

After Superstorm Sandy slammed the New Jersey coast, hundreds of gas stations were left without power, which meant they couldn't pump gas. Stations that did have power were swamped by long lines as many tried to keep their home generators running. Marlboro passed an ordinance requiring all gas stations in town to have back up power at the ready. 

“I haven't researched the issue, but I have heard of no other town that took the action that we took, post-Sandy,” says Hornik. “They have either gotten retrofitted and come in for permits or new gas stations they must have generators."

Sal Risalvato is a long-time gas station consultant. He says the bigger problem during Sandy was not a lack of power or gas, but rather not being able to access fuel because of storm damaged equipment used to load the trucks that deliver the gas. But here is what the mayor had to say.

“I respectfully disagree with Sal,” says Hornik. “We have a Costco in town and Costco is a big purchaser of gas and they had tanks coming throughout the outage here for three weeks, the three weeks we were out. They did not have a generator and that ran into a problem at some point. So, the gas was in the ground, they couldn't get it out."