Venezuelans suffer acute gasoline shortages

Miles long gas lines are forming outside gas stations in Caracas Thursday causing frustration among the unlucky who are stuck for days waiting for a chance to fill up their vehicles tank.

Hundreds of cars hugged the shoulder of a freeway in Caracas including taxis, flatbed tow trucks, a truck carrying bottled water, beat up pickups and shiny new cars.

Javier Serrano said that he pulled his blue 1968 Ford Falcon into the line on the edge of Caracas three days ago, hoping he would finally inch his way to the pump and fill up.

His gas gauge was long busted, but he knew he was near empty, eyeballing how much remained in his tank by opening a cap in the trunk next to his bald spare tire.

The old car Serrano bought for roughly $200 about 20 years ago remains a lifeline for his family and neighbors.

He supports his wife, two adult children and grandson who live at home by doing odd jobs, sometimes turning his car into a taxi, driving ill neighbors to the clinic or making deliveries.

"The only thing more plentiful in Venezuela than the Corona virus is the gasoline shortages," said Russ Dallen, a Managing Partner for Caracas Capital Markets in Miami.

The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.