A ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline caused the operators to shut it down. The pipeline runs from Houston, TX to the port of NY and NJ. I read about the attack a little bit over the weekend, but assumed it would be resolved before it affected my life.
I was wrong.
Tuesday morning, I had about 100 miles left of gas in the tank after driving to school. It's about 36 miles round trip, so I probably had enough to get home and show up for the next two days of work. I didn't want to cut things too close, so I planned on getting gas after work.
1st period, Carrie sent me a text that some locals were asking which gas stations near us still had gas. That had us thinking.
I decided to get gas on my planning period. My hall duty partner had needed to trade coverage with me, so I had the whole period off. I decided I'd buy lunch as a treat and grab gas. I had planned to get lunch first to eat while I gassed up, but switched the plan up "just in case."
And it was a good thing, I did. Costco was packed. Cars were backed up all the way onto 29. To complete the left turn, I had to switch lanes. I scooted up and went around the gas station to turn in from the other side. It turned out to be a stroke of accidental genius. I had a much smaller line ahead of me and a growing line behind me when I took this picture.
I've never seen Costco (or any gas station) this crowded. Employees from the tire center and elsewhere were directing traffic.
It was being run efficiently, so within 10 minutes I'd been guided through to the queue for a pump.
It took me under half an hour to get gas, but I felt fortunate as I pulled away. The line had only grown and online the number of stations running out of gas was growing.
Suddenly, I didn't want to waste any of my precious fuel by driving anywhere other than back to work. Qdoba less than 100 yards away, so I grabbed it for lunch and wondered, "What's going to happen this weekend?"
Sunday, I was supposed to meet up with Nana and Pop to hand over Shane. However, as the number of gas stations without gas on the east coast increased it the trip looked more and more unlikely. I took a picture of the gas station in Keene on the way home. Someone in front of me stopped to turn into the mess and after a second or two I thought to take a quick picture.
That night, Fluvanna County Schools decided to close their buildings and have a virtual only day.
Albemarle never closed. I had a full tank, so I was set to show up at work the rest of the week. The whole situation made me think about gas shortage stories from the 70s. This was hopefully a much smaller blip on the radar (and it was). It certainly put into perspective how much everyone relies on (and takes for granted) the steady stream of supplies.
Fast forward to the future - People panic-bought, but the pipeline started pumping again on Wednesday. Supply was short for a while, but I was able to find stations online with gas so Shane was able to visit Nana and Pop. Pop had filled up their van earlier in the week to be ready on their side of things.
Crazy times! But then, we are coming out of a world-wide pandemic.
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