ASHEVILLE - Tropical Storm Harvey has walloped a key piece of the nation's fuel infrastructure on the southeast Texas coast with ripples reaching this region in the form of spiking gas prices.

The conditions prompted Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday to take action against price gouging and possible shortages, though some specialists in fuel distribution said Asheville and surrounding areas could avoid a shortage if motorists don't make a run on the pumps.

Nationwide, pump prices have surged — the average for a gallon of regular gasoline rose from about $2.35 a week ago to $2.45 Thursday, AAA reported.

The rise has been even steeper in the Asheville area where the average price per gallon of regular was $2.389, up more than 12 cents from a week ago when the average was $2.262.

The price spike is more dramatic in Texas, of course, and in states such as Georgia, where the average cost per gallon of regular gas has climbed from $2.22 a week ago to $2.39 now.

The company that pipes much of the gas to this region is now saying deliveries of diesel, aviation fuel and gas will be "intermittent."

The Colonial Pipeline provides nearly 40 percent of the South’s gasoline. It runs underground and is now under water in many parts of Texas, where inspections are needed before it can be fully operational again, Colonial spokesman Steve Baker said Thursday.

The Georgia-based company remains able to operate its pipeline from Louisiana to states east and northeast of there, though deliveries will be “intermittent and dependent on terminal and refinery supply,” the company said.

Colonial's pipeline, a crucial artery in the nation’s fuel supply network, runs from the Houston area to New York harbor and includes more than 5,500 miles of pipeline, most of it underground. It closed in September 2016 after a leak and gas spill in Alabama, leaving empty pumps and higher prices in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas.

The system brings fuel to terminals in places such as Spartanburg, South Carolina. The mountains have no such depots, and gas is trucked up in tankers capable of carrying 10,000 gallons each.

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Regional grocery chain Ingles Markets depends on diesel to transport goods and is also a major gas retailer.

Ingles gas prices have increased, said CFO Ron Freeman. "But at this point it is difficult to predict what prices and supply will look like until things get back to normal."

The company has "multiple fuel suppliers at multiple locations," Freeman said.

"We are in constant contact to best deal with rapidly changing conditions."

Asheville Regional Airport spokeswoman Tina Kinsey said as of noon Thursday that fuel supply for planes was available and there was no service disruption or price changes.

Fuel stockpiling is not allowed, but the airport's fixed-base operator has multiple sources for fuel, Kinsey said. Prices can vary, depending on delivery distance.

"We can't predict what may happen in coming days, but at this time, all is operating normally."

Cooper's office Thursday evening issued a statement saying the governor signed an executive order lifting restrictions on the number of hours fuel vehicles could operate through North Carolina.

He also signed an order declaring an "abnormal market disruption for gasoline," putting in effect the state's price-gouging law against overcharging at a time of crisis. The law will remain in effect from now through the next 45 days.

"Hurricane Harvey's damage to refineries in Texas and Louisiana could ripple throughout the Southeast, causing gasoline shortages and rising prices,” Cooper said in a statement.

The orders would "get gasoline into our state so North Carolinians who need gas can get it," he said.

Such shortages in and around Asheville could be avoided, experts with AAA Carolinas, say, if people don't make a run on the pumps.

While the Houston area is a very important part of the nation's fuel supply chain, the country has a five-year high in its fuel inventory, said Tiffany Wright, spokeswoman for the regional AAA organization.

"We are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were," Wright said Thursday.

Northeast refiners are now shifting and sending fuel to this region. For that reason, North Carolina should be able to avoid a shortage, except possibly in some "mom-and-pop" gas stations, she said.

"But if we as citizens and motorists run out to the pumps and we all panic, we could create a situation."

That has occurred in the past when people anticipating a shortage topped off vehicles when they didn't need to, brought second and third cars to fill up and brought extra gas cans, she said.