After a set of severe storms passed through West
Virginia area this past weekend, some gas stations
and convenience stores are operating on a cash-only basis as crews work to
restore power and deliver more fuel.
Jan Vineyard, president of the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers
Association, said about 65 to 75 percent of stations across the state were
without power at the peak of outages.
As of this morning, she said, one-fourth of gas
stations were without power and not pumping fuel.
Areas currently experiencing problems with electricity
are St. Albans, Man, Logan, Pikeville, Buckhannon and
several areas in Lewis County,
she said.
Vineyard said it depends on how quickly the power
companies work, but a majority of stations could be operational by tomorrow
morning.
Several gas stations also had a problem with receiving
and keeping gas.
"We've been working with the governor's office,
and our message has been don't drive if you don't need to and to leave gas for
someone who has medical conditions or who do need to drive somewhere," she
said.
Ice and bread are issues as well, she said. One store
sold more than 600 bags of ice over the weekend, Vineyard said.
Another problem some stores experienced was with
credit card machines. However, Vineyard said this was not a widespread problem.
Vineyard explained the reason some stations were
operating on a cash-only basis was because the credit machines are tied into
the phone lines, which were out of service in some areas. Therefore, cashiers
would be unable to verify or process transactions, she said.
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