Did gas prices go up after Ida? Maps show fuel cost in MS Coast counties, Louisiana
When Hurricane Ida tore through the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane, the storm left catastrophic damage behind in many coastal Louisiana parishes.
Ida also led to widespread power outages in the New Orleans area, southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi, and caused storm surge and significant flooding on the Mississippi Coast, particularly in low-lying areas of Hancock County.
Once Ida moved past the Gulf Coast, many in Louisiana struggled to find fuel and traveled to South Mississippi to get what they needed. Much of the Coast welcomed evacuees with open arms, and gas station lines across the three Coastal counties were long, with many stations running out of fuel daily.
Before that, Mississippi and Louisiana had some of the lowest gas prices in the United States, with Mississippi having the lowest overall, according to data from AAA.
Gas prices on the Mississippi Coast did rise after Ida, by about 4 cents per gallon on average the week after the storm, but they are still lowest in the United States. Hancock County’s average cost per gallon is higher than Harrison and Jackson counties on the Coast.
In Louisiana, gas prices are higher in coastal parishes that took a direct hit from Ida.
The average price for a gallon of gas in St. Tammany Parish, where Slidell is, is $2.89 per gallon, according to data from AAA.
In the New Orleans metro, the average cost for a gallon of fuel was just under $3, $2.98, on Monday.
Sun Herald reporter Mary Perez contributed to this report.
