No gas, NC, GA, and SC have declared a state of emergency- Pipeline hack

[DawnM]

15 minutes ago, TechWife said:

 

I am SO glad you shared this, I was getting my grocery bags ready to head out to find gas!

🤣

[TechWife]

1 minute ago, DawnM said:

I am SO glad you shared this, I was getting my grocery bags ready to head out to find gas!

🤣

Apparently it’s a thing! Scary. 
 

 

 

[alisoncooks]

What does one even do with a plastic bag of gas? I'm assuming you must transfer it to a container with a nozzle before using it...I'm trying to envision getting it from a bag into my tank...

I just may not be creative enough to survive this shortage, lol. I'll just sit at home. 

[DawnM]

7 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

What does one even do with a plastic bag of gas? I'm assuming you must transfer it to a container with a nozzle before using it...I'm trying to envision getting it from a bag into my tank...

I just may not be creative enough to survive this shortage, lol. I'll just sit at home. 

Funnel it in?

[alisoncooks]

1 minute ago, DawnM said:

Funnel it in?

I'm pretty sure I'd end up with a bag of gas spilled on the ground. 😂

[DawnM]

12 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

I'm pretty sure I'd end up with a bag of gas spilled on the ground. 😂

Or all over me!

[73349]

14 hours ago, Farrar said:

How bad is it in NC anyway? I'm supposed to go take my mom to a do some key health things on Friday. I texted her and was like, um, mom, if I go down on Thursday, will I be able to get back home?!?

I just drove along some of the main roads in Raleigh and Durham (retrieving my car from a mechanic) and there were only 2 stations with gas (out of I'd say a dozen we passed) and those had multi-block lines, which includes mail trucks, meaning I don't think we're getting mail today. (We are dead last on our route.)

I might not be able to go to the grocery store and library Friday as I'd planned. I did get a grocery delivery today.

DH was unwilling to look at hybrids last time we shopped for a car (2005) but I bet he'll be willing to test drive a spectrum of choices next time (which should be soon).

Edited May 12, 2021 by Carolina Wren

[CTVKath]

If anyone needs to find gas, I used the GasBuddy website to find it. On the main page, scroll to the bottom and on the left under features, there is link for "outage tracker" where you can put in a location and see what's available around it. The tracker is dependent on folks who update it. I'd been watching it since yesterday and was able to get gas near me a few minutes ago. I was going to update my fill-up but someone had already updated it.

[stephanier.1765]

14 hours ago, Arcadia said:

The paper AP exam is on this week and last week. Commencement ceremonies are on this week. I am in the west coast so it is more of the usual high gas prices than a shortage. Costco gas stations are always busy here.

I'm on the east coast and got gas at Costco yesterday morning. Usually the lines are crazy but yesterday the place was almost a ghost town. Super weird! Lucky for me because I was almost running on fumes and I usually never let the tank go below halfway. Even the price was still reasonable. I'm hoping this is quickly resolved. I can't go through Toilet Paper Gate again.

[KungFuPanda]

11 hours ago, Starr said:

I wish I was stuck at the beach! 

I'm not sad for her at all.

[Farrar]

If anyone's in Durham, my mom says her station off Hillsborough had gas and no line. I was like... really!?! I told her to please go top off. I'm definitely a little concerned about getting gas tomorrow when I have to go to NC! But the word is that they think it should be better by Friday. Sigh.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Farrar

[DawnM]

13 minutes ago, Farrar said:

If anyone's in Durham, my mom says her station off Hillsborough had gas and no line. I was like... really!?! I told her to please go top off. I'm definitely a little concerned about getting gas tomorrow when I have to go to NC! But the word is that they think it should be better by Friday. Sigh.

 

I am hearing it most likely won't be better until the end of the weekend at the earliest.   Where is the word you have heard?

[Farrar]

2 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

I am hearing it most likely won't be better until the end of the weekend at the earliest.   Where is the word you have heard?

Bah. I read that in a couple of articles late last night. But maybe that's out of date. Bleh.

[DawnM]

4 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Bah. I read that in a couple of articles late last night. But maybe that's out of date. Bleh.

CNN is reporting over 70% of gas stations in Raleigh and Charlotte are affected.

• Nearly three-quarters — 73% — of gas stations in Pensacola, Florida, are impacted.
• About 72% of gas stations are reporting outages in Raleigh, North Carolina.
• Outages are impacting 71% of the stations in metro Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Nearly 60% of stations are impacted in Atlanta.

Edited May 12, 2021 by DawnM

[Farrar]

Just now, DawnM said:

CNN is reporting over 70% of gas stations in Raleigh and Charlotte are affected.

When I read this, I did sort of freak out and sent my mother to the gas station. But given how easy it was for her to find gas, I am wondering a little bit if this figure - which I'm pretty sure comes from Gas Buddy and is therefore basically a crowdsourced number - is just plain off. Like, clearly, it's a lot of stations. But I wonder if it's not this high actually.

[Pawz4me]

Here are comments made yesterday (5/11) by Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of the Department of Energy. This is part of her comments -- 

Quote

Many of you are aware that Colonial announced yesterday that they fully expect to substantially restore operations by the end of this week. 

Now, I’ve had several conversations with the CEO of Colonial, who has  indicated that by close of business tomorrow, Colonial will be in a position to make the full restart decision.

But even after that decision is made, it will take a few days to ramp up operations. 

This pipeline has never been shut down before. It travels great distances. There is fuel in the pipe, and then there is fuel from the refineries that has to be added.

So it will take a few days to be up and running.

I think that's where the reporting that things should be cleared up by the end of the week are coming from. But . . note all the hedging about taking a few days, travels great distances, etc.

Here is the Colonial Pipeline media page. Their latest update was yesterday afternoon, and as of then they didn't mention a timetable for getting the pipeline going.

I think some of the confusion about gas availability, X percentage of stations being out, etc. is because they are still getting tankers to refill supplies just not enough to fully keep up with demand. So a station can be out, get a delivery and have fuel for awhile, then be out again. It's kind of hard to track that.

[DawnM]

6 minutes ago, Farrar said:

When I read this, I did sort of freak out and sent my mother to the gas station. But given how easy it was for her to find gas, I am wondering a little bit if this figure - which I'm pretty sure comes from Gas Buddy and is therefore basically a crowdsourced number - is just plain off. Like, clearly, it's a lot of stations. But I wonder if it's not this high actually.

Can you fill up where you are and make the round trip trip without needing to refuel?

 

[PaxEtLux]

2 hours ago, TechWife said:

 

 

Paper bags are OK, though, right?

[Farrar]

16 minutes ago, DawnM said:

Can you fill up where you are and make the round trip trip without needing to refuel?

 

Dh filled the tank for me today. I need to take the kids to see a friend for his birthday this evening out in the burbs. I'm hoping to top off again somewhere in Virginia tomorrow. We'll see. Fingers crossed...

[DawnM]

SC is talking about going remote for K-12 for at least Friday.   We have been told to take our stuff home every evening that we will need just in case.  

 

[Sneezyone]

You all are making me very grateful that I can send my children to the store on their bikes. I was seriously annoyed that DH had to get underway this week but now it feels like perfect timing. It’s raining today and I have nowhere to go but I feel like I should go for a spin just to see this phenomenon for myself. Good luck to those who need gas!!

[Lady Florida.]

29 minutes ago, PaxEtLux said:

 

Paper bags are OK, though, right?

Nah, you should use your reusable bags. Better for the environment. 😂

[pinball]

6 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Agreeing with Pawz. Frankly, if you have seen the movie "Idiocracy", while an exaggeration, it also wasn't wrong. The communication needs to be like " Joe Not Sure" trying to communicate to his cabinet which meant very limited vocabulary in terms they could understand. That is where we are at in this nation. I have relatives who have really let their brains atrophy so thought they SHOULD be able to understand the not particularly at all complex issues with this, they don't because they have become "read the bullet point headline only" people, and then get totally confused when the real situation is not whatever the attention getting headline said. It gets so old! I suggest leadership and journalists stop the darn ratings and attention grab, and start talking to America like a classroom of 2nd graders. Yes, I am jaded at the moment.

But, recent emergencies like the freeze in Texas definitely make people feel panicky, and Texas government ineptitude did not include anyone with confidence. This kind of thing makes everyone stare at their own state capitols with suspicion and derision thus adding further fuel to the fire.

Michigan is on a completely different pipeline so no worries. But, for whatever reason, the gas station we get recreation fuel from- a special blend we use in our mower and log splitter - is having trouble keeping it in stock. Dh is headed there with all of our gas cans plus a couple of extra my mom has so we can just get the summer supply stocked and not worry about it. We take care of not only our own one acre yards but my mother's one acre and his mom's half. This township goes bananas on people if they don't keep lawns cut short....sigh...so bad for the environment! We can't afford fines on three yards! I am beginning to think I need to buy five sheep, turn them loose in each yard with a borrowed Australian Shepherd from my friends' farm, and let move them between each home all summer lawn. All natural, environmentally friendly blame maintenance!

And then what would you do with 5 sheeps worth of sheep sh!t? Plus the Shepherd sh!t, too?

[Faith-manor]

23 minutes ago, pinball said:

And then what would you do with 5 sheeps worth of sheep sh!t? Plus the Shepherd sh!t, too?

This is common in my agricultural area. The county rents flocks during the summer for fields that they owe near the county seat. Totally normal. If I owned them, I would sell them at the livestock auction when done. Maybe you have never kept sheep, but they are not as messy as large livestock, and in particular, the small fiber sheep.

Australian shepherds are common dogs here as well. I really do not understand your agnst. But I guess this is not something you have heard of before.

[pinball]

10 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

This is common in my agricultural area. The county rents flocks during the summer for fields that they owe near the county seat. Totally normal. If I owned them, I would sell them at the livestock auction when done. Maybe you have never kept sheep, but they are not as messy as large livestock, and in particular, the small fiber sheep.

Australian shepherds are common dogs here as well. I really do not understand your agnst. But I guess this is not something you have heard of before.

No angst, here. Just an honest question.

i DO know a little bout farm animals. Just sayin.

but thanks for the non-answer! 

[teachermom2834]

I just went out to pick ds up from work. I passed maybe 10 gas stations. Two of them had gas and there was a big tanker coming off the interstate presumably delivering gas. Ds works at a grocery store with a gas station. He said last night they got a delivery and a line of cars had followed the tanker to the station. He said they expected their normal deliveries tonight and tomorrow. I really think what we are seeing here is the panic buying because it seems stations are getting deliveries. However, the reason the stations are out of gas isn’t really important if I need it and can’t get it. All the people saying “don’t worry, there is no actual shortage” condescendingly don’t really solve my problem. 

I think we are okay into the beginning of next week on what we have in the tanks. If it goes on much longer it is going to get stressful.

Edited May 12, 2021 by teachermom2834

[Laurie]

I just read this Daily Mail headline:

"Times Square gunman who shot three innocent tourists is arrested eating fries in his SUV at a Florida McDonald's 'after the car RAN OUT OF GAS due to Colonial Pipeline fuel shortage"

[frogger]

5 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

What does one even do with a plastic bag of gas? I'm assuming you must transfer it to a container with a nozzle before using it...I'm trying to envision getting it from a bag into my tank...

I just may not be creative enough to survive this shortage, lol. I'll just sit at home. 

I'm pretty sure you just breath in a large chunk of it before you get home. 

What is left over you squeeze out of your trunk's carpet into the tank. 

[frogger]

2 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

You all are making me very grateful that I can send my children to the store on their bikes. I was seriously annoyed that DH had to get underway this week but now it feels like perfect timing. It’s raining today and I have nowhere to go but I feel like I should go for a spin just to see this phenomenon for myself. Good luck to those who need gas!!

Yes, I'm glad all except my oldest can get to work via bike. 

My oldest can get to his companies mechanical yard via bike but soon he will be on a road crew out of town. 

We are not close enough to be affected by this particular circumstance but I can tell you my DH was the fastest person home from work when we had our 7.1 earthquake. Cars are fragile, needy, and expensive though they are certainly helpful at times. They just have their drawbacks.

[purpleowl]

Pipeline is back up!

https://www.colpipe.com/news/press-releases/media-statement-colonial-pipeline-system-disruption

Quote

Colonial Pipeline initiated the restart of pipeline operations today at approximately 5 p.m. ET. 

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. 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.

As we initiate our return to service, our primary focus remains safety. As part of this startup process, Colonial will conduct a comprehensive series of pipeline safety assessments in compliance with all Federal pipeline safety requirements. 

This is the first step in the restart process and would not have been possible without the around-the-clock support of Colonial Pipeline’s dedicated employees who have worked tirelessly to help us achieve this milestone. We would also like to thank the White House for their leadership and collaboration, as well as the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, FBI, PHMSA, FERC and other federal, state and local agencies for their ongoing support.

We will continue to provide updates as restart efforts progress.

 

[KungFuPanda]

I drove to my garden plot today and attempted to get gas, but the two stations I tried were out.  It seemed silly to drive around any more looking for gas when I can make my half tank last for MONTHS if I need to.  I left my tools at the garden, bought some groceries in case there is any supply weirdness (or people start stocking up while they still have gas) and came home.  I have a grocery store that's less than a quarter mile away and If I walk to my garden and back I'll get my 10,000 steps in. I've got new transplants in so I'm motivated to go and water them.  I've got garden neighbors who are serious farmers and are at their plot every day.  If they don't make it out I'll water their stuff too. 

I'm wondering how all those people feel who moved out of the city and into the sticks.  It takes a LOT of gas to live in the country.  It's like the hunger games and the game makers are just messing with everyone.  It's fine.  I kind of wondered what I would do with no disaster to entertain me while I wait for these 17-year cicadas to emerge.  Heaven forbid we have an uneventful week.

So far no Prius owners that I know have made any jerk face comments, but I won't be surprised if one of them cracks. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by KungFuPanda

[KungFuPanda]

11 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

What does one even do with a plastic bag of gas? I'm assuming you must transfer it to a container with a nozzle before using it...I'm trying to envision getting it from a bag into my tank...

I just may not be creative enough to survive this shortage, lol. I'll just sit at home. 

I'll bet the Canadians know what to do.  They've been using those milk bags for ages.  The skill has to transfer to bags of gasoline.

[Terabith]

16 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

So far no Prius owners that I know have made any jerk face comments, but I won't be surprised if one of them cracks. 

I'm waiting for the tesla owners to start.  

[Arcadia]

20 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I'm waiting for the tesla owners to start.  

https://abc7.com/tesla-driverless-video-chp/10620539/
“Tesla motorist arrested after riding in backseat of driverless car on Bay Area freeway, CHP says

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A motorist was arrested after an officer observed him in the backseat of a Tesla traveling on a San Francisco Bay Area freeway, the California Highway Patrol said.

Param Sharma, 25, was arrested for alleged reckless driving and disobeying a peace officer, the highway patrol said in a statement Tuesday.

Multiple 911 calls Monday evening reported a person seated in the backseat of a Tesla Model 3 without anyone in the driver's seat while the vehicle traveled on Interstate 80 across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

A highway patrol motorcycle officer spotted the Tesla, confirmed the solo occupant was in the backseat, took action to stop the car and saw the occupant move to the driver's seat before the car stopped, said the statement from the highway patrol, known as CHP.

"Prior to this arrest, members of the public had captured video of someone resembling Sharma operating his vehicle in the same reckless manner, and the CHP's Oakland Area had cited Sharma on April 27 for similar behavior," the statement said.”

[Matryoshka]

55 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I'm waiting for the tesla owners to start.  

 

[Ausmumof3]

13 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

This is common in my agricultural area. The county rents flocks during the summer for fields that they owe near the county seat. Totally normal. If I owned them, I would sell them at the livestock auction when done. Maybe you have never kept sheep, but they are not as messy as large livestock, and in particular, the small fiber sheep.

Australian shepherds are common dogs here as well. I really do not understand your agnst. But I guess this is not something you have heard of before.

I’d loan you some if you were closer!  Too many sheep and not enough grass here 

[fairfarmhand]

16 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

This is common in my agricultural area. The county rents flocks during the summer for fields that they owe near the county seat. Totally normal. If I owned them, I would sell them at the livestock auction when done. Maybe you have never kept sheep, but they are not as messy as large livestock, and in particular, the small fiber sheep.

Australian shepherds are common dogs here as well. I really do not understand your agnst. But I guess this is not something you have heard of before.

When we had sheep we’d fence them into the front lawn with temporary electric. Their poo is not bad at all. Small pellets that fall down near the stems of the plants. It doesn’t attract flies like cow poo either. Nowhere near as messy as cow and horse poo. 

[Farrar]

You know the biggest winner from this whole thing? The Gas Buddy app. I've never felt I needed it before. I know I can't be the only new user to this thing this week. Plus, half the "statistics" the news was quoting came from them.

[Annie G]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

You know the biggest winner from this whole thing? The Gas Buddy app. I've never felt I needed it before. I know I can't be the only new user to this thing this week. Plus, half the "statistics" the news was quoting came from them.

It’s totally wrong in our area. We have three gas stations a half mile from our house and yesterday the app said they had gas as of an hour prior. We went by and they’d been out since Tuesday.  Ds said the same about his route to work- the app said a bunch of stations had gas but none did.  

[mommyoffive]

The news said the pipeline has gas flowing again.

[Sneezyone]

9 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

 

A friend of mine sold her Tesla and bought not one but two new cars, one for herself and one for her newly licensed teen. I should check in and see if she regrets this choice. 🤣

[73349]

I stalked Gas Buddy and was able to buy gas (at one of the five stations I was confident I had enough gas to get to 😬). I called to verify and they said yes, they probably had a couple of hours' worth. I did have to wait in a block-long line--there was an employee stationed at each entrance to direct drivers to pumps so they could keep things efficient and prevent arguments. Took less than half an hour, though.

DH's car is still on E, but we're good for at least a week as long as we have one car available. I feel much better now. DS has his first vax appointment in another area on Tuesday and the bus would not have been a fun way to get there.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Carolina Wren

[Annie G]

After being out of gas since Tuesday night, our local gas station had gas. There are three stations at that intersection and one got gas today. small town- we have one red light. So we’re pretty happy to have gas in our little town!