(LEX 18) — Experts have warned Kentuckians against rushing to the pumps but many still felt the need to panic.
A cyber-attack forced the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, which supplies 45% of all fuel consumed on the east coast. It doesn't affect Kentucky. People rushing to the pumps and hoarding gas can impact supply and demand.
At the Tate's Creek Kroger gas station in Lexington, lines wrapped as people waited to fuel up. At the same gas station, Jacob Franke filled up in anticipation for a move.
"I was like you know what, around everywhere there's no gas like, you know like I got to do it now so I have a little time to kind of get everything situated and I don't have to go into that panic like with COVID and the water and the milk and the toilet paper," said Franke.
Nonesuch Grocery, a gas station in Versailles, got so much traffic that the owner decided to raise the price of gas to keep the hoarders away.
Kaylen Jones works at Nonesuch Grocery.
"Last night, yesterday afternoon, this morning, there's been, I mean, an outnumbered amount of people come in that we had not as many as we see on a daily basis," said Jones.
They sold more gas in a single day on Tuesday than they remember ever selling in the past.
"We just don't want to sell out," said Jones.
Landscaper Brian Berger went there to fill up his two trucks and three gas cans for his landscaping company.
"If I don't have gas I'm like, stuck in the mud kind of saying I guess. You know, that's my work where I'm self employed and got a small landscape business and tree removal and if there's a gas shortage I'm done," said Berger.
It all started through the social media grapevine.
"All it takes is something to get started on social media and it's like a wildfire, you know, it just spreads," said Berger.
