Governors Warn Gas Shortage Caused by Panic Buying As 4 States Declare Emergency
On 5/11/21 at 9:43 PM EDT
The governors of Virginia, Florida, North Carolina and Georgia have declared states of emergency Tuesday night, as motorists along the Eastern Seaboard wait in long lines trying to buy high-priced gas during a fuel shortage experts warn is being caused by panic buying.
Reports of possible gas shortages and climbing prices due to the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack have pushed consumers out to the pumps to stock up on gas while they think they still can. Some people took to Twitter to share images of long lines and gas-hoarding they encountered. But governors and other officials are asking citizens to avoid over-buying gas out of fear since that very practice is what s actually driving current shortages.
Brandon Balkcom fills up his motorcycle as cars line up at a Citgo in Atlanta, Georgia on May 11, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]
Gasoline stations from Florida to Virginia were running on empty as motorists made a run on gas as the closure of the US largest fuel pipeline entered its fifth day Tuesday after an alleged ransomware attack.
Officials urged customers not to hoard gasoline as Colonial Pipeline, headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, has forecast that it will need until the weekend to substantially restore operations of the 5,500-mile pipeline network that supplies nearly half of the East Coast s fuel.
The pipeline daily transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and heating oil, or roughly 45 percent of fuel consumed on the Eastern Seaboard between the Gulf Coast and the New York metropolitan area.
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