South Mississippians concerned as gas prices spike amidst conflict in Middle East

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV) — South Mississippians are digging deeper into their wallets as gas prices climb nationwide.

Oil prices are rising considerably in the midst of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory strikes.

According to the Associated Press, Benchmark U.S. crude jumped 8.6% to $77.36 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, added 6.7% to $81.29 a barrel.

The drastic increase is being felt across the Gulf Coast, as residents begin to see the impact in their own wallets.

Just days ago, it cost South Mississippians on average $2.40 per gallon, but by Tuesday, most gas stations were charging just under $3 per gallon, with many sitting at $2.99.

Nearly every gas station along Highway 49 in Gulfport was reflecting those higher prices. With an increase of more than 50 cents per gallon, many South Mississippi residents say they’re surprised and concerned by the sudden spike.

“It needs to stay down, but we ain’t got that choice,” said Thomas Ladner. “It’s tough. I got a King Ranch four-wheel drive. I got a 5.4. It loves gas. It takes me $30 to go to town and back to the house, and I live 12 miles from here. It’s gonna affect everybody, especially if they got big trucks with big engines like I got.”

“I think it’s outrageous that the prices jumped over night. Earlier in the week, I got gas for $2.36. Today I got gas again for $2.74, so it’s gone up too quick too fast,” said Belinda. “I’m a senior citizen, so my money is tight, and it’s going to keep me from getting on the road as often as I used to.”

It is unclear how much higher prices will be driven up as the conflict in the middle east continues. We reached out to Chevron Refinery in Pascagoula and a spokesperson provided us with this statement:

“Chevron is closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East. Our priority remains the safety of our people, assets and communities where we operate.”