PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. β As the winter storm approaches Central Virginia, residents are rushing to fuel stations to prepare for potential extended power outages.
At Wilkerson Oil and Propane in Prince George County, a steady line of customers formed early Saturday morning, starting at 6:30 a.m., according to owner Robert Wilkerson.
"Those three products are things that people need to have to survive," Wilkerson said, referring to the trifecta of fuels customers were purchasing: propane, kerosene and non-ethanol gas.
Eric Crawford was among those preparing for the worst.
"Just be prepared in case something happens," Crawford said.
Gerald Taylor came to buy kerosene for his family's heating needs.
"I'm getting kerosene to put in my kerosene heater and trying to keep my family warm," Taylor said.
Chad Gordon, who lives in a rural area prone to power outages, was filling up multiple containers.
"Yeah, we're pretty concerned. We're back in the sticks, so pretty much when the wind blows, we lose power," Gordon said. "I'm getting as much gas in the generator as possible. We're filling up propane tanks. We're filling up gas cans. We've even gotten some diesel fuel for my skid steer, just in case we have trees falling on the farm."
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Many customers specifically sought non-ethanol gas for their portable generators. Wilkerson explained the reasoning behind this choice.
"It does not gum up the carburetors and so the equipment actually runs really good with this right here," he said.
Warren Vaughan was purchasing kerosene not just for himself, but for his neighbors who might forget to prepare.
"I'm worried about the power being out for numerous days," Vaughan said. "Somebody in my neighborhood will call me needing some kerosene; they done forgot to get some. So I might as well come up here and get ready."
Safety officials remind residents who use portable generators to never run them inside homes or enclosed spaces and to ensure proper ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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