Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    World
    Home / World / Americas

    Panic buying prolongs fuel shortages in southeastern US

    Xinhua | Updated: 2021-05-14 09:08
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Cars line up for fuel at a gas station in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, May 12, 2021. XINHUA

    WASHINGTON -- Fuel shortages caused by the shutdown of a major pipeline over a ransomware attack last week in the southeastern United States have been exacerbated by panic buying and hoarding, and the scenario is not expected to turn for the better soon as the pipeline was restarted Wednesday afternoon but will takes days to resume full operation.

    "Long lines, sharp words and pumps gone dry greeted unhappy drivers from the Alabama foothills to the Chesapeake Bay" across the eastern half of the country, and "nervous drivers clogged gas stations and created shortages in parts or all of 11 states," reported The Washington Post on Thursday.

    At least 12,000 gas stations reported being completely empty, and the squeeze pushed the price of a gallon past 3 US dollars, its highest in years, it added.

    The pipeline shutdown and ensuing gas search are "causing several thousand gas stations across the nation to run out of fuel. Hundreds of others are limiting sales," reported The New York Times on Thursday.

    "Consumers have become gripped by a fear that there could be a gas shortage. Many have turned to social media to vent, posting videos and pictures of long lines and empty pumps at filling stations," it added.

    WIDE-SPREADING SHORTAGES

    US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm told a White House press briefing on Tuesday that the current supply crunch was in the areas that were affected by the pipeline, predominantly the Southeast, such as the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and southern Virginia.

    "The crisis was man-made -- first by the ransomware attack on the systems of Colonial Pipeline that led the company to shut down its pipeline connecting Texas to New Jersey, then by a panic that led drivers to fill up out of fear the country could run out of gas," said the Post.

    "The long lines of frustrated drivers were the latest reminder of a country vulnerable to shocks and recalled the queues outside food banks, coronavirus testing centers and grocery stores over the past year," it added.

    In North Carolina, 65 percent of stations were out of gas Wednesday afternoon, according to GasBuddy, an app that tracks fuel prices and demand. More than 43 percent were out in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.

    The panic was so contagious that gas stations in central Florida, an area not supplied by the Colonial Pipeline, were also running out of fuel. Governors in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida have declared states of emergency.

    The 5,500-mile pipeline system transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and heating oil per day, or roughly 45 percent of fuel consumed on the Eastern Seaboard between the Gulf Coast and the New York metro area.

    CALM NEEDED

    Officials in states with the longest gas lines are asking for calm. "I'm urging everyone to be careful and be patient," South Carolina's attorney general, Alan Wilson, was quoted by the Times as saying.

    "Remember when it wasn't a good idea to panic buy toilet paper last year? Please don't do it with gas now," the Virginia Department of Emergency Management tweeted on Wednesday.

    The Colonial Pipeline Company, operator of the pipeline carrying gasoline and diesel fuel to US east and southeast parts, said that it initiated the restart process of its transportation system at approximately 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, almost six days after its shutdown.

    "Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal. Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period," said the company. "Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal."

    The Joe Biden administration approved a temporary waiver of shipping requirements late Wednesday to help Colonial Pipeline transport fuel. The waiver "will enable the transport of additional gas and jet fuel between the Gulf Coast and East Coast ports to ease supply constraints," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement early Thursday.

    Meanwhile, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday aimed at strengthening US cybersecurity defenses, a move that follows a series of sweeping cyberattacks on private companies and federal government networks over the past year.

    "My administration will be pursuing a global effort of ransomware attacks by transnational criminals who often use global money-laundering networks to carry them out," said the president on Monday.

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    我的小后妈中文翻译| 国产精品无码A∨精品影院| 惠民福利中文字幕人妻无码乱精品 | 成人麻豆日韩在无码视频| 日韩人妻无码精品无码中文字幕| 久久无码AV一区二区三区| 国色天香中文字幕在线视频| 人妻少妇乱子伦无码视频专区| 特级做A爰片毛片免费看无码| 中文国产成人精品久久不卡| av一区二区人妻无码| 亚洲av无码一区二区三区四区| 最近中文字幕mv免费高清视频8 | 中文字幕网伦射乱中文| 日韩精品无码一区二区三区| 久久精品aⅴ无码中文字字幕不卡 久久精品无码一区二区WWW | 在线天堂中文在线资源网| 午夜无码视频一区二区三区| 成年免费a级毛片免费看无码| 亚洲精品无码mv在线观看网站| 日韩免费在线中文字幕| 天堂资源在线最新版天堂中文| 久久久噜噜噜久久中文字幕色伊伊| 国产亚洲?V无码?V男人的天堂 | 日韩免费码中文在线观看| 欧美日韩中文在线| 亚洲中文字幕无码一区| 中文字幕无码不卡免费视频| 无码任你躁久久久久久| 亚洲国产综合无码一区二区二三区 | 久久久网中文字幕| 亚洲天堂中文资源| 中文字幕天天躁日日躁狠狠躁免费| 熟妇人妻中文字幕无码老熟妇 | 五月婷婷在线中文字幕观看| 最近最新中文字幕完整版| 亚洲中文字幕丝袜制服一区| 久久无码AV中文出轨人妻| 亚洲国产精品无码成人片久久| 高清无码中文字幕在线观看视频| 免费看成人AA片无码视频吃奶|