(Tuesday, May 11, 2021) – The long lines are forming at gas stations up and down the East Coast as panicked drivers flock to gas stations in the midst of the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack.

In Atlanta, 1 in 5 gas stations reported being out of fuel Tuesday evening.  The Biden Administration is trying to calm the fears.  Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm admits parts of the U.S. will be in for some challenging few days.  “We have gasoline.  We just have to get it to the right places.  And that’s why I think the next couple of days will be challenging.”

Last Friday, hackers virtually shutdown the Colonial Pipeline system, which is responsible for 45 percent of the fuel that moves through the East Coast.

Governors in North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia have declared states of emergency and have taken steps to relax fuel transport rules in hopes of easing the pain at the pump.

According to several reports, 7 percent of gas station in Virginia, 8 percent in North Carolina and 5 percent in Georgia were without fuel as of Tuesday afternoon.

Officials are calling on motorists not to panic by overwhelming the system by filling up their tanks.  But judging by the long lines that message has been falling on deaf ears.