Hurricane Isaac has forced fuel prices in East Brunswick to go up about 6 since the weekend, and it could go even higher.

“I don’t know at what price it will top off at, but as these gulf coast storms approach, the oil companies evacuate their drilling platforms and thus production becomes limited and behold, we feel it at the pumps,” said Emergency Management Coordinator Austin Kosik.

Media outlets, including CNN, are reporting that gas prices are expected to increase because of disruptions in the supply chain caused by Hurricane Isaac. In fact, the hurricane has already forced the closure of many oil and refining facilities already.

Kosik said that close to 90 percent of oil production has stopped in the Gulf because of Isaac, and he’s recommending that everyone fill their tanks now to avoid the high prices. He also recommends having five or so extra gallons on hand in case there is ever a power outage.

“This will not cause a shortage, but it’s always good to have fuel for your generators because when power goes out, the gas station cannot pump gas,” he said. “Having 5 to 10 gallons at home for the ready will allow you to fuel your generator and find time to go to a gas station that is operational.”

Kosik said that the price of gas will probably be the only thing the area feels from Isaac. He said the area may get some showers, but experts expct the storm to die out near Ohio.

According to CNN: “Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service, which tracks gas prices for AAA, estimated that the national average could shoot up by 10 cents due to the disruption to supplies from Isaac, although he expects a fairly quick retreat if there is no lasting damage from the storm.”

So if you want to fill up, check out Patch’s Cheapest Gas tool. Find which local gas station has the cheapest gas.

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