Gas Shortages Hit NC, Virginia May Be Next

Gas shortages have hit North Caroline with customers lined up at stations that still have inventory on hand. Sunday morning my Asheville cousin’s Facebook page noted, “Finally found gas at the 5th station we went to. $20 limit.”

I obviously had missed something when hearing news of the broken Alabama gas line and, though it was mentioned that prices could jump, nowhere had I read about shortages. A quick google search told the tale:

Governor McCrory’s office declared a state of emergency in North Carolina due to the gas shortage expected from a major pipeline burst in Alabama.

Locally, by Saturday afternoon stations in some counties began restricting purchases to only 10 gallons, and some stations are completely out of gas for the time being.

The governor’s office declared a state of emergency to help prevent gouging of consumers.

In Asheville, the Citizen-Times reported:

Lines of drivers could be seen bumper-to-bumper winding around several gas station parking lots throughout Asheville. Some lines extended onto streets such as Merrimon Avenue or Amboy Road and blocked traffic.

A handful of service stations capped how much gas people could put in their cars, limiting motorists to 10 gallons or $20 worth of fuel. Several service stations were forced to put red plastic bags over their pumps because they ran out of gas.

Get ready, Virginia — we could be next. Officials believe Virginia could join North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, in facing possible shortages. If stations resort to even/odd license plate numbers, those who lived through the gas lines of the 1970s will know the drill.

No word yet on how long the shortages may last.