COLUMBIA, S.C. — A hack into the Colonial Pipeline has about some gas stations without gas.
Even though the pipeline has been restarted, some drivers are frustrated to find the pumps bagged up.
"Currently in South Carolina, 52% of gas stations are out of fuel," said Gas Buddy's director of communications at Allison Mac.
The Colonial Pipeline reported they have restarted its pipeline system, and areas should be receiving gas sometime Thursday. But, South Carolina drivers are still feeling the negative impact of the gas supply.
"One out of two gas stations is out of fuel," explained Mac. "It's making it a lot harder for consumers to fill up, especially the ones who need to."
Gas Buddy's director of communication says they are gathering information on the gas outages by people reporting it on their app. Mac says there is a 44 percent outage rate in Columbia.
"This morning, I tried to fill up at two gas stations, and both were out," said Columbia resident Graham Brook. "I panicked a little bit, but I looked online and searched where can I find gas. I saw stuff online where people were hoarding gas, but it didn't click. I didn't think about it until I saw my car was nearly empty. It's quite scary when you think, what happened can cause this much trouble."
Mac is encouraging folks not to panic buy to help decrease the gas outage numbers. She says drivers should report any outages on the gas buddy app, don't drive fast or slam on the breaks, and stay home if you don't need to travel.
"Keep in mind, there isn't a hurricane coming, or a refinery is shut down to produce gasoline anymore," explained Mac. "The truth of the matter is. There is gasoline. It's just sitting in an area that can't quickly get to a gas station."