New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched the nation’s first state-based Strategic Gasoline Reserve in time for Superstorm Sandy’s one year anniversary.

The reserve situated on Long Island will hold roughly 3 million gallons of gas and cost around $10 million. The project will be funded by appropriations obtained by the state earlier in the year according to Cuomo’s office.

Fuel NY will make our energy infrastructure stronger and better prepared than it ever was before,” Cuomo said in a press release.

Eunice Huang, deputy press secretary in Cuomo’s office, explained the origins of the Fuel NY campaign.

“The governor launched the Fuel NY initiative in June as a direct response to the gasoline disruptions that occurred during Superstorm Sandy,” Huang said. “Two of the most significant gasoline challenges during Sandy were the loss of power at many gas stations – making it impossible to pump gas – and a gap in supplies to gas stations.”

Fuel NY is an initiative from the governor’s office that involves protections requiring certain gas stations by highway exits or hurricane evacuation routes to have transfer switches installed by April 1 and to have functional generators.

Tiffany Wong, a Stern freshman, was just one of thousands of students worried about what the gas shortage meant to her in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

“I remember driving miles and miles to find a gas station with fuel, sometimes to other boroughs just to have to drive to a different one because the first one ran out,” Wong said. “The lines were hours to wait in. I didn’t know when it was going to end, and I couldn’t just put my life on hold.”

But like many New Yorkers, Darady Savage, 23, was unaware of the plan for the gas reserve.

“I am a little relieved to know that they’re working so maybe next time it won’t be so difficult to get back to real life,” Savage said. “With the trains down it was hard enough getting to work.”

Cassandra Cassillas is a contributing writer. Email her [email protected].