On Tuesday Maryland Governor Larry Hogan tweeted the state is prepared for the worst when it comes to Maryland's fuel supply.
The tweet comes as everyone waits for the Colonial Pipeline to become fully operational again. It is country's largest fuel pipeline, running from Texas all the way up the East Coast, and went down after a ransomware attack.
WMAR-2 News put the fuel supply in focus. The line delivers about 45% of all fuel to the East Coast. Even though some networks are back in service, four main lines are still down raising concerns about supply shortages. This also means an increase in prices at the pump. Triple-A Mid-Atlantic says prices could go up as much as 7 cents just this week.
In his tweet Governor Hogan wrote, "We will keep Marylanders informed of any significant impacts on our supply. For now drivers should proceed as normal."
Since Saturday morning, when we activated a statewide response, Maryland has been closely coordinating with the federal administration and local jurisdictions.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) May 11, 2021
That is not the case in North Carolina where the governor already declared a state of emergency.
Other states are experiencing fuel shortages. One Florida driver made it to the gas station only to find there was no fuel.
"My gas tank is basically empty, and all the gas pumps are out of service."
And it's not just cars we have to worry about, this is having an impact on airlines. The Colonial Pipeline directly services seven airports in the southern and eastern United States. American Airlines will add stops to two-haul flights at least through this week to make sure there is enough fuel. The airline is also considering tracking fuel to airports impacted by the shortage.
Southwest will fly planes with additional fuel into impacted airports.
Keep track of the status of your state when it comes to gas shortages here.
