Is there a possible gas shortage in Southwest Louisiana? That is a question most folks in the area are asking right now.

If you ask me, I say yes because I experienced it firsthand last night. First, I was in Sulphur yesterday afternoon and I went to a gas station on Highway 90 to find all the pumps at the station were out of gas.

I then made my way to Lake Charles to head to my house and decided to try my luck at another gas station at the corner of Nelson Road and West Prien Lake Road only to find they were completely out of unleaded and unleaded plus gas. The only gas you could purchase was premium unleaded and, of course, it was $3.15 a gallon.

Is Southwest Louisiana the only area being affected? Nope. Most of the East Coast is really getting hit hard. States like North and South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Virginia are seeing widespread gas shortages.

So what is causing this? Well, all things point toward the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline by a Russian ransomware group called Darkside. When the news dropped, it sent consumers into a frenzy and they started to panic buy gas like people did during the pandemic with toilet paper.

The Colonial Pipeline Company says it is aware of the issue and is working to restore its system by the end of the week.

So if you stop at a gas station in the Southwest Louisiana area in the next couple of days, now you know why there may not be any gas at the pump.

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