Florida Is Running Out of Fuel as Residents Flee Hurricane Milton

Gas stations in Florida are running out of fuel as people are evacuating ahead of Hurricane Milton, expected to be a once-in-a-century direct hit on Tampa late on Wednesday.

Late on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said that Milton is forecast to retain its major hurricane status and expand in size while it approaches the west coast of Florida. Tuesday was the last full day for Florida residents to get their families and homes ready, and evacuate if told so by local officials, the NHC added.

“Milton will move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico through Wednesday, make landfall along the west-central coast of Florida Wednesday night, and move off the east coast of Florida over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday,” said the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Parts of Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Helene in late September.

As of 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday, GasBuddy data was showing 21.6% of stations in Florida were out of gas, Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said.

Florida is the nation’s third-highest motor gasoline consumer, but it doesn’t have its own refineries so fuel needs to be brought in by tankers and trucks.

Fuel is flowing to Florida, but the sheer number of people evacuating is putting a strain on gasoline supplies at fuel stations, De Haan added.

In preparation for Hurricane Milton, Kinder Morgan shut on Tuesday its terminals and fuel racks in and around Tampa.

Ports in Florida have moved to restrict vessel navigation as Hurricane Milton intensifies as it makes its way toward the state’s coastline.

Oil and gas operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico have also been disrupted.

On Monday, Chevron said it had shut in its Blind Faith platform and evacuated all personnel from the facility in preparation for Hurricane Milton.

oilprice.com