Odd-Even Gas Rationing System Ends In NJ
NEWARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Odd-even gas rationing in New Jersey has officially ended as the state inches forward in its recovery from Superstorm Sandy.
Gas rationing in the Garden State, which has been in place in 12 northern counties since Nov. 3, ended at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
New Jersey was the first to impose the system in an attempt to ease fuel shortages and long gas lines that sprung up after Sandy slammed the region.
WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reports
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"You get a chance today and the other guy gets a chance tomorrow...It does help," one driver told WCBS 880's Paul Murnane.
Sandy left many gas stations reeling because of a lack of power and problems getting deliveries.
"After they installed the odd-even, it was fine," another driver told Murnane. "The generator was really the problem for most people. They'd pull up to the pumps and then pull out 12 gas cans and that's really what held up the lines, I think."
The rationing was in effect in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Monmouth, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.
Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more than $127 million in individual assistance in the two weeks since Sandy battered New Jersey.
All residents in the state are eligible and 22 disaster aid centers have opened in 19 counties.
FEMA says more than 190,796 survivors in New Jersey have applied for assistance and 1,384 people have checked into 173 hotels under the agency's shelter program.
Some 836 FEMA inspectors have completed 33,799 inspections.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses from Sandy can apply for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-FEMA.
Gov. Chris Christie said he expects to have an estimate of property damage caused by Sandy Tuesday or Wednesday.
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
