CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — With the coldest of the artic blast still ahead--members of the community wasted no time in early preparations, like making sure they were stocked up on propane.
The cold weather brought many to Buster's Propane in Corpus Christi. Since 1970--Buster's Propane has fueled countless costumers with hope and energy through their propane, especially during extreme weather events, like an artic blast.
"We probably see anywhere from 30 to 40 people a day," said President of Buster's Propane Brody Newton. "Right now, we're seeing upwards of 80 to 120, and as it gets colder, that'll go up."
Propane helps the world go round if you own an RV, motor home, an outdoor barbecue pit or even live just out in the brush country, like Duval County. Ranch owner Baldemar Gutierrez said he, along with other residents understand the dire need for propane.
"Up here in the town of Benavides, every one is either all electric or a combination of electric or propane," Gutierrez said. "Just so you know because many years ago, we stopped getting service of natural gas. It's been a few years now that everyone had no choice and had to switch either to propane or all electric."
Gutierrez owns a ranch and has livestock. He said without propane, he can't manage his ranch, burn cactus for his cattle to eat, or warm water, or cook. Last year, when the ranch lost power after the historic freeze--Gutierrez and his cattle made it through because of the fuel.
"I made sure that we had all of our propane tanks, that we had three separate thousand gallon tanks that we use for our ranch properties, and I made sure that before the end of the year, we were fine," Gutierrez said.
Propane is in high demand because it can help with a lot--if it's used correctly with caution. Gutierrez said Buster's Propane will stay open during the winter weather event and will fill up as many fuel tanks as needed.
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