If you were anywhere near a gas station Friday, you saw hundreds of cars waiting in line to fill up before Ike bears down.

"Its amazing," Evan Jones of Delta Township said. "I think it's gas, everyone wants it before it goes up because of the hurricane, but who knows?"

It's the unknown that pushed so many to wait.

"I waited bout 30 minutes to 45 minutes," Joan Walker of Lansing said.
"I heard a big chain in the area had gone up to $6 a gallon. I was like no way!"

Governor Jennifer Granholm hoped to quell fears and stop the rumor mill in a Friday press conference. Her message? 'Don't panic.'

"There should not be a rush to the gas stations in Michigan and we urge people to not create a demand problem that causes the supply to diminish," she said.

Do expect prices to jump slightly, she said. It's those who try to gouge consumers, who will be prosecuted.

"If any gas station attendant is looking to make a buck over this crisis, our message is, 'we are watching,'" Granholm said.

"Price gouging is illegal in Michigan and gas stations who are found guilty of price gouging face fines up to $25,000," John Sellek, spokesperson for the Attorney General's office, said.

Sellek said there've been no reports of gouging yet, but people will be on-hand to answer your complaints all weekend.

The consumer hotline number is: 1-877-765-8388