The panic of reliving the long gas lines associated with Hurricane Katrina had many residents across Vicksburg and Mississippi preparing Wednesday for the worst and hoping at least to be better safe than sorry.

“Even if the gas doesn’t run out, I know the prices might go up,” said New Orleans evacuee Charlie Smith, who was filling up his Toyota Camry at the Texaco station on Indiana Avenue.

“I just don’t want to take my chances. I learned last time,” he said.

Dan Waring, co-owner of Waring Oil Company, which provides fuel for 47 gas stations in Vicksburg and across the state, said rumors were spreading like wildfire Wednesday that stations would be shutting down to prepare for Hurricane Rita.

“People heard that FEMA and MEMA were pulling gas out of Mississippi to ship to Houston. That’s absolutely not true,” Waring said.

“Everyone’s just on edge because of what happened last time. That’s where the panic’s coming from,” he said.

In the first two weeks after Hurricane Katrina leveled much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, fuel supplies dwindled, tankers couldn’t get in and people around the state waited in line for hours – from before dawn until after dark – for a fill-up.

But the crisis eased, and in recent days, it was rare to wait more than 5 minutes for a pump.

But now Hurricane Rita, which had strengthened to a Category 5 storm by this morning, threatens refineries off the coast of Texas.

Waring said fuel allocations at the terminals are actually at 150 percent of what they were this time last year with no current signs of diminishing.

“We’re in no fear of a gas shortage unless every person in Vicksburg starts running around filling up every coffee can and tin drum they have. Even then, that would bring us to just under 100 percent,” he said.

Still, many people were at the pumps making sure their tanks were full – just in case.

Just down the street at the BP station on Indiana Avenue, nearly every pump was full, although there was no line.

“I just needed gas. I live in Bolton and work in Vicksburg, so I use a good bit of gas traveling back and forth,” said Ron Gunn as he topped his GMC truck off with 30 gallons.

“I am a little worried just because of what happened last time,” he said.

At the next pump, Phil Lee of Pearl said he wasn’t worried about the gas shortage rumors.

“I think if there is a shortage, it will pass pretty quick. But I just talked to my wife who said the gas lines in Jackson were ridiculous so I’m just beating the rush,” Lee said.

Federal and state officials scrambled to quash the fast-spreading rumor Wednesday that Rita would trigger a gas shortage in Mississippi.

“Neither the Federal Emergency Management Agency nor the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is rationing or otherwise disrupting the availability of gasoline to the citizens of Mississippi, nor do we have any intention to do so,” said Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen, who heads the federal recovery effort in the region.