AN increasing demand for gasoline in parts of Florida has drivers worrying about a potential shortage with Hurricane Milton looming.
Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida‘s Gulf Coast late Wednesday into early Thursday morning as millions of residents hit the road to avoid the storm’s destructive path.
As time slowly runs out to evacuate storm surge areas, a mass exodus has created an extraordinary demand for gasoline and diesel, leaving some gas stations dry.
Almost 1,500, or 19.7%, of gas stations in Florida were without fuel as of 6 pm on Tuesday, CNN reported, citing the gas price tracking service GasBuddy.
“It’s a testament to how fast the storm is moving and how intense it is,” Partick De Hann, an energy analyst at GasBuddy, told the outlet.
“It’s a game changer.”
However, as drivers fear being left stranded on the road without fuel, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ensured the state’s gasoline supply is well stocked.
“The state of Florida has incredible fuel reserves ahead of Milton, and it utilized as needed following the storm,” DeSantis told reporters on Wednesday.
“We’ve already dispatched a lot of fuel in the lead-up to this, but we still have on hand 1.6 million gallons of diesel and 1.1 million gallons of gasoline.
“Right now, there is no fuel shortage. However, demand has been extraordinarily high, and some gas stations have run out.”
DeSantis said to combat the shortage at certain gas stations, the Florida Highway Patrol has been escorting 106 fuel tankers, carrying nearly a million gallons of gasoline, across the affected areas.
The governor acknowledged on Tuesday that the shortage could be a result of drivers panic buying at certain gas stations.
“Fuel continues to arrive to the state of Florida. But lines at gas stations have been long, and gas stations are running out quicker than they otherwise would,” he said at the time.
It comes as…
- Hurricane Milton, with 155 mph winds and potential 15-foot storm surge waves, is expected to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast directly.
- Heartstopping moment fearless boffins are battered by Milton as they fly into the eye of the storm.
- ‘Price-gouging’ hotels slammed for charging Hurricane Milton evacuees $600 per night
- Publix was forced to alter store hours at 500 locations and close some shops entirely.
- Watch the moment sick passengers are airlifted off a stranded cruise ship.
‘WHISKER SKY’ OF CATEGORY 5
Meanwhile, DeSantis again urged people who were in storm surge areas to evacuate with little time remaining until Milton arrived.
“The roads and interstates, they are flowing. But the best option would probably be just to evacuate within your own county to one of the shelters,” he said.
DeSantis said there are 149 emergency shelters open throughout the state.
The safe havens are currently housing about 31,000 people and have a capacity for nearly 200,000.
The governor described Milton’s strength as “just a whisker shy” of Category 5.
“While there is the hope that it will weaken more before landfall, there is a high confidence that this hurricane is going to pack a major, major punch and do an awful lot of damage,” he added.
Millions are still reeling from the catastrophic devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene two weeks ago.
More than 220 people died after Helene barreled through the United States southeast region.
