Updated at 5:55 p.m.
Colonial Pipeline said on Wednesday it has initiated the restart of pipeline operations at its hacked pipeline, while warning it would take several days for supply to return to normal.
The restart of operations starting around 5 pm ET is welcome news across the Southeast, where the cyberattack on Colonial s crucial pipeline triggered a wave of panic buying that led to severe gasoline shortages over the last two days.
The announcement comes as stations have been pumping out days worth of fuel in a matter of hours, and a growing number are going empty.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been begging Americans not to put fuel into plastic bags, or anything not designed to carry gasoline.
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Colonial Pipeline said Wednesday that it has resumed gas pipeline operations after it was forced to halt after being hit with a cyberattack last week.
The shut-off of the pipeline, the primary fuel conduit serving the East Coast, spurred many people on the east coast and in the southeast into panic-buying with some hoarding gas and drained supplies at thousands of gas stations. Average gas prices are above $3 and some stations in the Southeast are running out or low on fuel.
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People speed to the gas pump after Colonial Pipeline cyber attack
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The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline is sending thousands to fill up their tanks at gas stations. Gas prices are above $3, and some stations are running out or low on fuel. The Colonial Pipeline stretches from Texas to New Jersey and supplies almost half of the East Coast s fuel.
The pipeline was shut down after a cyberattack, but the fuel company initiated the restart of pipeline operations at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, the Colonial Pipeline Co. said they made substantial progress and the delivery of gas had begun to the majority of markets they serve.
Panic buying strikes Southeastern United States as shuttered pipeline resumes operations Will Englund, Ellen Nakashima
Replay Video UP NEXT A sudden fuel shortage worsened across the eastern half of the United States on Wednesday after a cyberattack crippled a major pipeline, as long lines, sharp words and pumps gone dry greeted unhappy drivers from the Alabama foothills to the Chesapeake Bay. Although government and industry officials said the nation had plenty of fuel and the pipeline was set to resume operations in the evening, nervous drivers clogged gas stations and created shortages in parts or all of 11 states. At least 12,000 gas stations reported being completely empty, and the squeeze pushed the price of a gallon past $3, its highest in years.
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Cars line up Tuesday at a QuikTrip in Atlanta. Continued panic-buying is leading to shortages at gas stations across the Southeast after a hack attack shut down a critical pipeline. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Colonial Pipeline said Wednesday it has “initiated the restart of pipeline operations” after suffering a cyberattack while warning it would take several days for supply to return to normal.
The restart of operations around 5 p.m. ET is welcome news across the Southeast, which was gripped by a wave of panic-buying that led to severe gasoline shortages over the last two days. The hoarding of gasoline happened after Colonial said it would suspend supplies through a critical pipeline following the cyberattack.