Local Motorists Rush to Pumps Ahead of Ike

Motorists waiting to fuel up their gas tanks outside the Murphy USA gas station in Jackson.

As Ike churns up speed and power in the Gulf of Mexico and barrels towards the Gulf's many oil rigs, local motorists, fearing an expected hike in gas prices of more than one dollar per gallon by the weekend, were lining up outside gas stations in Jackson on Thursday evening. Lines extended into the street at Kidd's, at the corner of Hwy. 61 and Hwy. 72, possibly one of the busiest intersections in Jackson. Amid blaring horns and the ensuing confusion of who-goes-next, traffic on Hwy. 61 soon slowed to a crawl.

Out by Wal-Mart, a similar scene was happening at the Murphy USA gas station. Both stations were the only two stations in Jackson still selling gas below the $3.50 mark. The BP station had already raised it's price of unleaded fuel to $4.09 per gallon.