Sour economy tied to psychology that fed gas panic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – As anxiety on Wall Street led banks and other investors to hoard cash last week, a different kind of market fear gripped cities across the Southeast.

A hurricane-related disruption in gasoline supplies prompted jittery drivers from Atlanta to Nashville to top off their fuel tanks more than usual, causing sporadic shortages and temporary shutdowns of stations. These closures only magnified the problem, of course, leading to more shortages, which sent local prices skyrocketing.


“It’s a wonder people didn’t go out and empty all of the grocery store shelves, too,” said Larry Lamb, of Nashville. “All you need to do when something like this happens is just calm down.”

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