On November 29th the island literally ran out of fuel. A boat
arrives each month to replenish Tarawa’s fuel supply but this time it did not
arrive in time.
Service stations started rationing petrol a few days before
in anticipation of the crisis and by Friday evening there was no petrol to be
had anywhere in South Tarawa--the home of 50,000 people and half the population
of this archipelago nation.
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| Moel General Store |
I didn’t really feel the full consequences of the situation
until I was in Moel, the largest supermarket, and the power went out. I had
already been to another supermarket without power where a young boy tried to
help me find products by shadowing me with a lantern. I was in the check-out
line at Moel when their power went out which meant we could not purchase
anything as they use an electronic scanning system. Luckily I had enough petrol
to get home to a house without water, electricity or Internet as all services are powered by fuel.
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| Empty Road |
On the bright side, stores that still add up your purchases
with pencil and paper were overcrowded, frozen foods were already defrosted, the
streets were empty of buses and cars creating a more dust free, peaceful environment.
Some people I spoke to attribute the crisis to the recent
increase in the number of personal vehicles. Now that the road is being
converted from pothole ridden coral powder to a smooth tarred road, more and
more people are investing in cars. I
just wonder if it might be a good idea for government to start investing more in
solar energy. Otherwise the mighty Hercules may need to bring along a friend to
help meet the growing demand for fuel here.
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| Fuel God |
