After five days of a shutdown, the Colonial Pipeline restarted its distribution of refined petroleum products, easing a fuel crisis that caused people to hoard gasoline and form lines at gas stations in the Southeast.
ABC News reports that the Colonial Pipeline restarted operations around 5 p.m. ET. When fully operational, the pipeline distributes 45% of the refined petroleum products distributed along the eastern seaboard.
“Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal,” the company said in a statement. “Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period. Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.”