My life through pictures...: Gas Shortage in the Southeast

I am sure most of you know that we are having a major gas shortage in the Southeast, but then again, I am learning that most people have no clue! I wanted to share some of the frustration and confusion that is going on here with you all!
Before Hurricane Ike, gas prices went from just over $4 to a reasonable (sadly) $3.52 per gallon of regular unleaded. We were pretty excited to have gas this low and laughing at how we can be excited to see it over $3 and be happy! Then when Hurricane Ike was headed toward the Gulf, we began to get word here that our gas prices were going to rise again and that we may be headed for a shortage. It was almost like deja vu because just before Hurricane Katrina, our gas was at $2.79 a gallon. All of a sudden people were getting calls and emails telling us that the gas was going to go up to $4 or $5 a gallon and we better hurry and get gas before it happens. My office was right next to a BP gas station, me and 3 other co-workers went and filled up but the price was already over $3 a gallon. I am sure you all remember how crazy it was the next day to see all the gas stations shut down and looking more like a ghost town than a gas station. So, the prices were supposed to be "temporary", but here we are 3 years later and it still remains at a national average is $3.63 a gallon.
Here comes the deja vu, we are facing the same circumstances now with Hurricane Ike. There were rumors that we were going to have gas issues again because Hurricane Ike was now headed to Louisiana and Texas, and to expect the prices to go up again. But no one really panicked because it seemed they were more prepared. But boy were we all wrong! Hurricane Ike hit Galveston, TX on Sept 13 and the prices here went up to $4.19 a gallon and some places were at $4.39 a gallon. Not only were the prices ridiculous, but now we weren't getting any more shipped to us because the refineries that supply us gasoline were damaged and shut down. And for almost 2 weeks now, Atlanta (which includes 45 counties) does not have gas!
I want to know - why weren't we prepared? Who dropped the ball? Why does this seem to always happen? Who in our government is to blame? As soon as a gas station shows signs of having gas, people are flooding them and waiting for over an hour to get gas! Then they run out within hours of getting a shipment. Some gas stations are now rationing how much gas you can buy and are having to use employees as traffic controllers because the people are lined up down the road (causing even more traffic issues) just trying to get in. Some people are running out of gas trying to drive around and find a station that actually has gas! Some people are running out while sitting in the line to get to the pumps! It is crazy????