Gas Panic Across U.S
As of Wednesday May 12 2021, there were an estimated 68% of gas stations in North Carolina without gas. And this ‘shortage’ has continued to spread all throughout the south east, whereas in Georgia 45% of gas stations reported this, as well as North Carolina and Virginia also reporting this 45%. This is not due to less gas in the U.S. but rather the panic of over buying.
This was caused by the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline, which is a major supplier of gas throughout the southeast. It was attacked this past week, and as a result has been down for days. In response to this shutdown, the gas is being trucked instead of mainlined, which asks for more time than it regularly would. Word to the public caused a major panic, and people began to drive to the gas stations, fill up completely, and also fill their spares. Because of this, there was not enough gas to go around like there usually is, not because of a shortage.
The question now, will this reach Michigan and other northern states? Although some gas stations in southern Michigan have reported an uptick in customer activity, the surge is most likely not going to arrive here. This is most largely attributed to the fact that the Colonial Pipeline doesn’t exactly reach MI. Although the uptick in gas customers in some areas is due to the fact of word of mouth, and the activity in other states.
The Good News is that the Colonial Pipeline plans on running again soon. The colonial pipeline is responsible for gas, diesel, and jet fuel, so the market that it depends on is quite large. They said that they will continue to move as much fuel as possible, as long as it’s safe, until the market returns to normal.
This is a warning in the future for the U.S. that if there is a shortage of something, like fuel, that people panic, so we have to try to remain calm. We also saw this in the COVID-19 pandemic with toilet paper, and preservable foods. There is enough gas to go around, although this was just an unusual time for the market.
