After waiting in line for nearly 12 hours, Helbert Vidal expressed relief at having the chance to fill up his pickup van which he says has been sitting in his garage for the entire week without petrol.
“Man, I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am,” the farmer stated to Dominica News Online( DNO). “ For an entire week I have not been able to get to my farm because of the distance and the lack of fuel and this really took a toll on me.”
Following a nearly seven-day gas scarcity on the island, Vidal was one of the 100 locals that lined up or stood in line at the various gas stations yesterday, December 23, 2022, to buy fuel.
“I have never experienced such nonsense in Dominica in my 67 years in this county,” he said. “This is chaos and it’s the average man who’s really feeling it. The situation needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
Like the farmer, several people who DNO spoke with at the gas station in Canefield and Roseau expressed relief that they could fill up their tanks, but they also said that the overall scenario is disconcerting since it raises many concerns about what might occur in the coming days.
According to Karem Reid, if the situation with Rubis is not resolved, this is merely the beginning of residents of Dominica’s new reality.
“It’s also very taxing because I am here waiting to spend almost 200 dollars, which could have gone to buying something for my kids for Christmas, instead I have to spend it on gas, as I am fearful that if I don’t and wait till I get paid next week, then it will be too late,” he said.
Fishermen from various parts of the island, the majority of whom claim they have not been able to venture out on the water to catch anything since the shortage, have asked that steps be taken to accommodate them in the future.
“We should be able to go to the fisheries division and fill up our containers, we should not be there in the line struggling with everybody else to get gas,” one stated.
Anthony Cordel, a senior bus driver who believes that their line of work should be given precedence, has also voiced similar worries and demands.
The senior bus driver who has also been unable to work for the week believes that reserving a petrol station for those in his profession solely will make the process go more smoothly.
“At the end of the day, without the bus drivers transporting people to and from where they need to go the country cannot run,” he declared as he stood in line at 9:36 pm last evening.
Several vehicles were already queued up when DNO arrived at the numerous petrol stations in Canefield this morning, just before 7:00 am. Determined to fill up their tanks, some of the vehicle owners said they had been up since 2 am waiting in line.
The authorities attributed the current predicament to rough seas and announced that petroleum shipments are also anticipated on the island on December 25 and 27.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit declared that his administration would expand Petrocaribe’s gasoline storage space and sign a deal with a local gasoline provider to establish a national reserve in case fuel delivery to the island encounters difficulties.
He did not specify the provider or a timeframe for when the storage capacity will be increased.
All you enjoy it while it lasts! Next week and the week after it will all kick off again. Skerrit is the PM of band aids. He just hasn’t got a clue!
With Rubis out of the picture, people should brace themselves for more fuel shortages as time goes by.
They would be advised to keep about 20 litres of gas in storage for the next shortage.
The pictures depict how Hurricane Skerrit’s gasoline really hit the country.
Looks like we are getting worse than the country of Haiti, in an off hurricane season.. that’s the beginning of sorrow…
Roosevelt, for lack of foresight and concern for the working poor, has hamstrung progress and caused agony for his countrymen/women.
This fuel crisis was manmade. One monumentally incompetent man continues to put at risk the livelihoods of the local inhabitants. This shortage of fuel which was a direct consequence of Roosevelt’s recalcitrance, could have simply been avoided if sensible negotiations were held with Rubis.
The longer this Prince of Darkness stays in power, the darker the thick, ominous storm clouds over Dominica grow. Roosevelt is like a poison ivy plant, not good for anything.
This statement by one in the queue just sums it up: “I have never experienced such nonsense in Dominica in my 67 years in this county”. But most Dominicans are still prepared to support that useless man with dimples who slowly but surely brings our country to its knees. How disgraceful and shameful…