The lines for gasoline are long and nerve-wracking in New York today as customers queue up in breakdown lanes for miles outside of the few gas stations that are open, disrupting the flow of traffic and causing fights.

Because Hurricane Sandy left paths of destruction and–in many areas–no electricity, stations are having trouble even receiving gas, because the tanker trucks which deliver it have either been damaged or can’t run fuel through their pipelines due to flooding.

One man was arrested for pulling a gun on another man waiting at a gas station in Queens yesterday after a disagreement about cutting in line. 35-year old Sean Bailey was arrested on charges of menacing and illegal possession of a weapon, and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Fuel trucks are finally on their way to some of the hardest hit areas, but it may not be enough in the wake of so many modes of public transportation being temporarily shut down.

“It’s so crazy. Cars are pulling up and people are fighting each other. There is no gas around here,” said Mena Aziz, manager of a Gulf Express station in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. “It’s been so busy.”

Image: Christine Roberts/New York Daily News