Fuel Shortage Preparedness

A fuel shortage can come from a refinery fire, a pipeline disruption, a cyberattack, a storm, or a panic that follows any of them. The lesson of the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack was that the shortage was worsened by panic buying: people lined up and filled every container, and the lines became the shortage. Ready.gov treats a fuel shortage as a driving and supply plan: keep the tank above half, keep a pantry buffer, and reduce the driving you do. This guide covers the tank, the pantry, and the alternatives that keep the household steady when the pumps run dry.

Keep the tank above half

The simplest and most effective fuel-shortage plan is to keep your vehicle's tank above half during high-risk seasons and any time a shortage seems possible. A half tank gives you range to detour, to evacuate, or to wait out a short shortage without joining the lines. Fill up early and fill up often, not when the lines are already long. Keep a small fuel container for emergencies only if it is legal and safe in your area, and store it properly — never in the house or the passenger compartment, and never near a heat source.

If you have a generator or equipment that runs on fuel, keep a supply for it, but store it safely and rotate it, because fuel ages. Gasoline with ethanol can degrade in a few months; add a fuel stabilizer if you store it longer. The plan is to have fuel before the shortage, not to fight for it during one, and to store what you have safely.

Keep a pantry buffer

A fuel shortage is also a supply shortage, because the trucks that stock the stores run on fuel. Keep a two-week buffer of the foods your household eats, the medications you need, and the supplies you use. The plan is the same as for any supply disruption: have the buffer before the shelves thin, so you are not part of the rush that empties them. A household that can eat from its pantry for two weeks is a household that does not need to drive to the store every day, which also reduces the fuel you use.

Keep cash in small bills, because a fuel shortage can take card readers with it if the power is out or the network is congested. Keep a list of the essentials you would buy if the shelves were thin, so you know what to protect and what to substitute. The plan is steadiness, not scarcity, and the buffer is the steadiness.

Reduce the driving you can

During a fuel shortage, the most useful thing you can do is drive less. Combine errands, work from home if you can, and postpone non-essential trips. If you commute, carpool or use public transit if it is an option. Keep the vehicle maintained — proper tire pressure and a clean air filter improve fuel economy, so the fuel you have goes farther. The plan is to extend the fuel you have by using it efficiently, not to find more fuel.

If you must drive, plan your route to avoid congestion, because idling in a line at a gas station or in traffic wastes fuel. Keep the tank above half even as the shortage continues, because the worst time to need fuel is when everyone else is trying to get it too. The plan is to keep moving at a lower pace, not to stop, and the driving you can avoid is the fuel you save.

The panic that creates the shortage

A fuel shortage is often made worse by the response to it. When people line up and fill every container, the lines become the shortage even if the supply would have lasted. The right response is to fill what you need, keep a buffer, and leave supply for the people who need it more — emergency vehicles, essential workers, and people who cannot wait. The plan is not to fill every container; it is to keep your household moving and let the system recover. The household that has a buffer does not need to join the panic, and the households that do not panic are the ones that let the system recover.

Do not store fuel in unapproved containers, and do not store it in quantities that are unsafe or illegal in your area. The risk of a fuel fire or spill is higher than the benefit of a large stockpile, and the storage is a hazard in its own right. The plan is the tank, the pantry, and the reduced driving, not the stockpile.

If you run out

If you cannot get fuel and you need to move, plan the alternatives before you need them. Public transit, a bicycle, or a neighbor may be options. If you are stranded, stay with the vehicle if it is safe, because it is your shelter. Keep an emergency kit in the car — water, snacks, a phone charger, a flashlight — because the kit is what keeps a stranded driver safe while they wait. The plan is the same as for any roadside emergency: have the kit, know the alternatives, and stay safe.

The recovery from a fuel shortage comes as the supply chain restores. Keep the buffer until the pumps are reliably full, not just for the first day they reopen, because a second wave of panic can empty them again. The plan that kept the tank above half and the pantry stocked is the plan that gets the household through the shortage, and the recovery is built on the same buffer.

This is planning guidance, not emergency advice. In an emergency, call 911. See a mistake? Report it.

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