Graham County gas stations are reeling from a fuel shortage in the eastern United States brought on by a cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline.
The attack led to a gas shortage across the eastern half of the country starting Monday – including in Graham County, where many stations have run out of fuel or are rationing their current supplies. The pipeline begins in Houston and runs through the South and up the East Coast to Linden, Mass., connecting several refineries and terminals along the way, and delivering 45 percent of fuel consumed on the East Coast.
Shell/Mountain Energy Assistant Manager Jessica Williams said that her station ran out of fuel early in the day Monday, before receiving an email informing her of the pipeline issues. She said she was unsure when the station would receive its next shipment.
“I was in town, and I started seeing people panic,” Williams said. “I saw the lines. Every five minutes people are calling asking if we have gas.”
She said the situation was unexpected for her.
“We still kind of need gas,” Williams said. “People have to work.”
Skyway Convenience Store Manager Donna Crisp said that the crisis began at her station at approximately 3:30 p.m. Monday, when she was called by one of her employees as word of the cyberattack began to circulate.
“I told her if it got too busy to let me know,” Crisp said. “She called me in and I got here, and the parking lot was covered. The next thing I know, we had lines going up the road and down the road within a matter of 10-15 minutes max.”
She said the rush lasted approximately two hours, with her and other staff members having to direct traffic and run money in to help control the chaos.
“Then it slowed down somewhat, but we were actually busy up until closing at 9 o’clock,” Crisp said.”There were still cars in the parking lot.
As of Tuesday morning, the station was out of regular unleaded, but has ethanol-free gas, premium and diesel on hand. Purchases of premium were limited to $20.
“It’s going quick,” Crisp said.
She said it was possible that the station might receive a partial shipment of fuel on Wednesday.
Despite the difficulties the station was facing in the wake of the gas shortage, Crisp remained optimistic.
“We’ve got it handled,” Crisp said. “As long as the gas holds out, we’ve got everything under control.”
As of Tuesday morning, some stations in the county were out of gas, while others continue to ration what fuel thy have on hand. Outland Gas and Grocery on Tapoco Road had received a shipment last week, but did not open until Wednesday.
Gas prices at most stations in the area also jumped by more than 10 cents, bringing total prices to almost $3 a gallon.
According to The Associated Press, the cyberattack is believed to be the work of DarkSide, a cybercriminal gang. The attack occurred Sunday and officials with Colonial Pipeline said there was an “all hands on deck” effort underway to get fuel flowing again.
Several entities at both the national and state level have urged drivers to only buy the fuel they need, saying that hoarding gas would only worsen and prolong the crisis.
Gov. Roy Cooper also declared a statewide state of emergency Monday.