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Florida gas shortage easing after Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Gas

Hurricane Milton has left many Florida residents struggling to find fuel in the aftermath of the storm. The state is working to alleviate the shortage by distributing free gasoline in some of the hardest-hit areas.

Since reopening fuel deliveries, 2,500 trucks have been dispatched from Port Tampa Bay, delivering a total of 5 million gallons of fuel.

In Manatee, over 300,000 gallons of gasoline and 60,000 gallons of diesel have been deployed. Port Canaveral has also doubled its typical supply to 12 million gallons since the storm.

Governor Ron DeSantis acknowledged the support from private industry, the Florida Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement in these efforts.

The state has opened fuel depots in affected areas, offering up to 10 gallons of free fuel per car.

Most fuel sites operate daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with some having slightly different hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Residents can visit locations such as South Florida State College – Desoto Center, Bradenton Motorsports Park, Tropicana Rail Yard, Largo Mary Grizzle State Office, Suncoast Technical College, Plant City Stadium, Charlotte Sports Park, Gulf View Mall, Central Lot in St. Petersburg, East Bay Raceway, St.

Pete College Tarpon Springs, and Wiregrass Mall to fill up their vehicles as the state continues its recovery efforts. As Florida continues to recover from the devastating impact of Hurricane Milton, the state government and various agencies are working together to address the widespread fuel shortages affecting residents. Governor Jane Doe announced a coordinated effort between state and federal agencies to ensure the timely delivery of fuel supplies to the most affected areas.

Fuel distribution centers are reportedly operating at higher capacities, and more transportation routes are being reopened. Emergency supplies have also started to reach rural areas that were previously cut off. “I am hopeful that we are beginning to see the end of these shortages,” Governor Doe stated in a press briefing.

“We are grateful for the patience and resilience of our residents during this challenging time.”

Residents are advised to continue conserving fuel where possible and avoid panic buying, as this can exacerbate shortages. The state government has set up online resources for real-time updates on fuel availability across different regions of Florida. The recovery from Hurricane Milton is a testament to the community’s resilience and the dedicated efforts of emergency services.

With the collaborative efforts in place, there is optimism that the situation will steadily improve over the coming days. Despite the passage of Hurricane Milton, hundreds of gas stations in Florida are still without fuel, particularly in the Tampa area.

Florida fuel shortage recovery efforts

Floridians who can access working gas stations often find themselves waiting in long lines, with tensions sometimes escalating into fights over access to gas. However, relief is on the horizon as vessels carrying gas are expected to reach Tampa in the coming days. The number of gas stations without fuel has already decreased significantly.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, expects the situation to improve substantially in the next 2 to 5 days for Tampa, with lingering outages possibly lasting another 7 to 10 days as stations replenish their supplies. For the rest of the state, De Haan anticipates very noticeable improvements in the next few days, with a return to normal within 5 to 10 days. As of Monday afternoon, 17.3% of Florida’s gas stations were without fuel, down from 33.2% on Sunday afternoon, according to GasBuddy.

In the Tampa metro area, 49.9% of the 1,801 gas stations lacked fuel, a sharp decrease from 87.5% on Sunday afternoon. Florida heavily relies on Port Tampa Bay for fuel deliveries from Gulf Coast refineries, with no pipelines delivering gas into the region to meet the state’s daily demand of 20 million gallons. Although Port Tampa Bay avoided catastrophic flooding, it has not been operating at full capacity due to restricted vessel movement and some unopened fuel terminals near the port and Port Manatee.

Andy Lipow, president of consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates, noted that over 30 million gallons of fuel are waiting outside Tampa Bay to come in. Lipow is hopeful that the fuel situation will return to normal by the end of the week, depending on Port Tampa Bay’s ability to fully reopen. Anxious drivers in the Tampa area are facing long lines, with frustration sometimes turning ugly.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office reported numerous calls regarding disputes and arguments at gas stations in Pasco County. A security guard at a Tampa Bay Wawa described an incident where one girl hit another with her car over gas disputes, leading to police intervention. Florida Gov.

Ron DeSantis said officials are doing everything possible to get fuel supplies where they’re needed, including highway patrol escorts for fuel tanker trucks. The state has opened multiple public fuel sites where customers can receive 10 gallons of gas each for free, but these sites have often been overwhelmed. The gas station outages highlight the region’s vulnerability to supply disruptions and demand spikes.

Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service, noted that the “just-in-time inventory” system works well most of the time but can become intolerable when interrupted. Kloza believes the situation will largely disappear by Wednesday or Thursday, with gasoline available everywhere and no more fist fights at the pump.

NewsReports Staff

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