Motorists in the U.S. Southeast struggled to find gasoline for their cars on Thursday as most pumps in the regions saw their pumps run dry following days of panic buying triggered by a major pipeline shutdown.

According to Reuters, the Colonial Pipeline, which shut on Friday after a ransomware cyberattack, announced it had begun the restart process but would take days to resume normal operations. That could leave retail stations scrambling for supply for the rest of this week.

The report notes that around 70% of gas stations in the state of North Carolina were without fuel, along with about half the stations in Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia.

People who could find gasoline are reported to have paid much more than the usual retail prices as the commodity's scarcity bit residents.

The Colonial system carries 100 million gallons per day of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to the East Coast, nearly half the region's supply.

A White House task force formed to respond to the fuel crisis and the Transportation Department temporarily relaxed fuel transport rules to make it easier to distribute gasoline.

Governors in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia also took steps to ease transport rules as they declared states of emergency.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm also warned gas station operators that federal officials will have "no tolerance for price-gouging."

She encouraged motorists who encounter such situations to contact their state attorney general's office.

(With input from agencies)