Prices at the gas pumps continue to rise as a result of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath.

Several stations around Batesville continued to hold gas prices at $2.79 per gallon while some were charging $2.89.

John White of C.W. White, Inc., agreed with President Bush’s observation that a gas shortage is pending.

Representatives of other suppliers like Huron Smith Oil Company and Graves Oil were not available to comment.

"You will start seeing spot shortages in places," White said. "There are going to be some service stations running out of gas."

White said he also expects people will start seeing more stations operating fewer hours.

"With the short supply and rising costs, station owners could start operating shorter days," he said. "I know at our stations we will not be open on Sundays for a while."

White, who supplies several stations in the area and owns stations in Batesville and Sardis, said prices from his suppliers are the reason for his push at the pumps.

"I am seeing my cost from one supplier coming in at $3.27 per gallon," he said. "Factor in that it takes 10 to 20 cents more per-gallon to pay operating expenses, and you could soon see prices near $3.50 per gallon."

White said he uses three suppliers and his cost depends on which supplier delivers the fuel from one day to the next.

"As it stands right now, I am only able to get fuel deliveries between midnight and 6 a.m.," he said.

White said consumers should be prepared for rapid increases at the pumps.

"Approximately 25 percent of the nation’s gas supply was coming in off the Gulf Coast," he said. "We don’t have that supply now.

"As the cost from the suppliers we are using continues to rise, you will see prices at the pumps keep going up," he said.

As for when prices of gas might begin a slow and steady decline, White said it’s hard to predict.

"We were already in short supply due to the drought we had been going through," he said. "Then you factor in a disaster like this (Hurricane Katrina), and it’s almost impossible to say when prices will go down."
    

Panola Countians are among the thousands of helpers who are working on the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the description they give is one of utter devastation.

"When we arrived in Gulfport, it was total devastation," said highway patrol Sgt. Dennis Darby of Batesville.

Panola County’s Troop E of the Miss. Highway Patrol is rotating troopers in the Gulfport area of Interstate 10 and Hwy. 49.

A detachment of state troopers returned to the county last week and were scheduled to go back to the Gulf Coast by the weekend.

Miss. Highway Patrol spokesman Scott Swanson said troopers had been dispatched to the coast by the time Katrina rumbled north from the coast.

"Those troopers down there are sleeping in their cars and working 14-hour shifts," said Swanson, who is set to depart for the coast this week.

"If you’re dedicated to this job, it’s gutcheck time," Swanson said.

According to Darby, the troopers helped survivors, protected storefronts from looting, and performed search and rescue operations.

Asked about the conditions the troopers worked in, Darby said the officers slept in their cars but hesitated to give other details about their plight.

"The focus is on the victims, not on us," Darby said.

The coastal victims were so appreciative of the troopers’ work, Darby said, that when a trooper asked a victim with two dirty small children if she had Baby Wipes, the victim misunderstood the question and offered to find some Baby Wipes for the troopers.

Batesville firefighters traveled to the coast last week to perform search and rescue, returning again last Friday to work three-day shifts at fire departments along the coast.

"We’re rotating three firefighters every three days for the firefighters who are exhausted and need time to take care of family business," said Batesville firefighter Chris Olson.

Many of the firefighters in Biloxi, Gulfport, Waveland and other cities lost their homes to the hurricane, Olson said, and some are living at the fire stations with their families.

Panola County’s volunteer firefighters are awaiting their chance to travel to the coast and perform any job necessary, said Mt. Olivet Fire Chief Arthur Biggers.

"We can’t go until FEMA tells us they need us, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re tired and need some help," Biggers said. "When they call, we’re ready to go."

Like Panola County’s firefighters, Panola’s law enforcement community is helping how it can: a trailer loaded with unused uniforms, food and personal hygiene products, and other items left here over the weekend.

The destination was the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.

The Batesville Police Department and the Panola County Sheriff’s department donated the items last week after hearing from other police departments farther south.

"The only clothes these men and women have is what they are wearing on their backs," said a message sent to the Batesville Police Department.