People Are Panic Buying Gas in Lawton Due to the Shortage

Not here, there's no way, surely not. Yep, it's happening right here in Lawton, Fort Sill. I was on my way home and stopped at the gas station to fill up the truck. I pulled into the station and immediately saw 2 or 3 people filling their cars, trucks, gas cans, containers and really just about anything and everything else they could get their hands on with gasoline. That's right the mass hysteria has officially hit our happy, humble, medium sized metropolis. People are out panic buying gas. What the hell is wrong with people?

Last year it was toilet paper, this year it's gasoline! Now before I go any further, the gas shortage isn't really a shortage at all. Yes it's true that some places in the Northeast and a few in the Southeast are having some issues with stations running out of gas, but the supply and demand is just about to catch up. So there's no reason to panic and there's certainly no need to panic buy gasoline, especially in Lawton.

The problem started when the Colonial Pipeline became the victims of a cyber attack, or ransomware attack. This caused the company to temporarily shutdown until they could fix the issues the attack caused. Since then they've been working to re-supply stations and get the pipeline back up and running at 100%. The shortage was cause primarily by people panicking and rushing out to fill everything they could up with gas.

There's no gas shortage here in S.W. Oklahoma and in Lawton, Fort Sill all is well. So why are people out filling everything up? I guess they're worried it could happen here next, or they just saw it on the news and thought it was happening Nationwide and they had to get gas immediately. Kind of like what we saw during the pandemic with toilet paper, remember those fun days? So remain clam, all is well, there's no need to panic. There isn't a gas shortage, so put the gas can down and relax a little.

I felt bad for the poor clerk who had to come out and tell people that they couldn't fill Tupperware, coolers, glass containers or buckets with gas. Only approved gasoline cans that are meant to hold gas are permitted. You may have seen the pictures online where people are filling all kinds of things with gas, including trash bags, yes trash bags. At least I didn't see any of those when I was at the station. Can you imagine that? People are crazy!

So if you see someone panic buying gas and filling up cans and other containers let them know there isn't a shortage. At least here in S.W. Oklahoma and that there's no need to go nuts, all will be well. If that doesn't work, shame the hell out of them and maybe, just maybe some common sense could kick in and the embarrassment of being an idiot may detour them and others from making this mistake. God help us, we're surrounded by these people!