North Carolina Gas Stations Report Pipeline Shutdown Shortages

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

According to GasBuddy, a website and mobile app that helps people find the cheapest gas near them, North Carolina gas stations are experiencing "some improvement" in fuel outages Thursday.Late Wednesday, the website reported that 74% gas stations in North Carolina were without fuel as Colonial Pipeline initiated the restart of operations.

By 8 a.m. Thursday, the percentage dropped slightly to 71%, and 69% at 3 p.m.

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Officials said it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal. That means some markets served by Colonial Pipeline, including parts of North Carolina, may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the startup period.

The reason there are stations without gas, experts said, is due to people panic-buying even though there is enough gas for everyone.

Patrick De Haan, an expert on gasoline supply forecasting, tweeted Thursday morning that Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte are among a handful of major Southeast cities seeing "some improvement in outages." As of 8 p.m. Thursday, Haan reports that 41% of gas stations in the Greensboro/Winston-Salem areas do not have gasoline.

Virginia and Georgia also saw improvement in fuel supply overnight, while some states worsened.

According to a timeline of fuel outages in North Carolina on his Twitter account, De Haan reports that the biggest outages were at 8 p.m. Wednesday when nearly 94% gas stations in the Raleigh-Durham area were out of fuel.

In the Piedmont Triad, gasoline outages hovered right below 50% Wednesday evening into the early overnight hours.

A full list of which gas stations are reporting shortages can be found by visiting the GasBuddy website and searching specific cities and ZIP codes.

The national average price of gasoline also reached $3 per gallon on Wednesday for the first time since Oct. 30, 2014.

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Because of the demand, gas stations are limiting purchases as delivery drivers work to get gas to the stations. Stations may show a price of $8.88 to signal to drivers that they are out of fuel, De Haan says.

Transportation companies are also pouring into terminals to get gas to stations. In Greensboro tankers lined up one by one to fill up and head out. Colonial Pipeline said they initiated the restart of operations earlier Wednesday night, but it will take several days before the return to normal and during that time some areas could experience some interruptions.

And if you do find yourself at a gas pump with fuel, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said whatever you do, do not fill plastic bags up with gasoline because it can be deadly.

In Winston-Salem on Wednesday, WXII 12 News spoke with one driver who said he was able to find gas Wednesday morning on University Parkway. He wants everyone to take a deep breath, stay calm and to not panic-buy gasoline.

"You spread one word and everybody takes it out of context, and you just be yourself and be calm, we will get through this and there is plenty of gas, we just have to get it out to the public and we will be fine," said Marvin Bonner.

Gov. Roy Cooper issued a state of emergency in North Carolina on Tuesday, temporarily suspending motor vehicle fuel regulations to ensure adequate fuel supply supplies throughout the state.

Colonial Pipeline initiates restart of operations

The state's price gouging law remains in effect, aiming to prevent price gouging so consumers can make informed buying decisions when resupplying in an emergency.

Price gouging can be reported by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or by filing a complaint here.

If you are still looking for gas in the Triad, we have an interactive map by Gas Buddy. This is very helpful and can tell you in real time which stations have gas. Just click here to be directed to the link.

North Carolina officials urge drivers not to gas up unless necessary North Carolina: More than 600 gas price gouging complaints reported to officials since Monday