VIRGINIA- Several east coast US states declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as gas stations began to run out of gasoline, five days after a cyberattack brought down the key Colonial pipeline.
The governors of Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia have declared states of emergency Tuesday night to deal with the growing number of gas stations that were running out of fuel.
Declaring a state of emergency allows state governments to activate the National Guard as needed, and helps streamline cooperation between state and local officials.
“This emergency declaration will help the Commonwealth prepare for any potential supply shortages and ensure Virginia motorists have access to fuel as we respond to this evolving situation,” said Governor Northam.
What caused the pipeline shutdown?
Colonial said it was hit by a ransomware attack on Friday; hackers typically lock up computer systems by encrypting data and then demand a large ransom to decrypt it.
The FBI said on Monday that it suspected the professional cybercriminal group DarkSide to be behind the attack.
The attack highlighted the vulnerability of US infrastructure to cybercriminals.
Some people took to Twitter to share images of long lines and gas-hoarding they encountered. But governors and other officials are asking citizens to avoid over-buying gas out of fear since that very practice is what’s actually driving current shortages.
The American Automobile Association (AAA), which reported the highest average U.S. gas price since 2014 today at $2.985 per gallon, made multiple anti-hoarding statements today.
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