By hannover-web.com As Hurricane Milton approaches Florida, millions of residents are racing to evacuate. Long lines have formed on highways, with some drivers experiencing delays of several hours, and many gas stations are quickly depleting their fuel supplies.
Meteorologists are calling Hurricane Milton the most formidable storm to hit the Gulf of Mexico since 2005. In response, local authorities in nine counties across Florida have issued mandatory evacuation orders.
A recent report from the New York Times revealed that nearly 6.5 million people along Florida’s Gulf Coast started their evacuations on October 8, just a day before the hurricane is expected to make landfall on October 9. Traffic congestion has become a common theme, with gas stations facing shortages.
Kevin Guthrie, Executive Director of Florida’s Emergency Management Department, highlighted the magnitude of this evacuation by likening it to the extensive evacuations seen during Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Officials are urging residents in evacuation zones to leave as soon as possible to avoid getting stuck in traffic. On October 7, officials in Sarasota County took to social media to inform residents that this evacuation would be the largest on Florida’s west coast, cautioning that delaying could result in severe gridlock.
Even those who heeded the warnings about early departures are facing significant traffic and gas shortages. Jacqueline Camenisch, a 62-year-old grandmother, cut short her family’s trip in Orlando to head north with her children and grandchildren. She initially intended to stay in Gainesville, about 100 miles away, but found that all accommodations were fully booked.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Camenisch shared as she maneuvered through heavy traffic along Interstate 75 toward Panama City, noting that what should have been a six-hour trip turned into a seven-and-a-half-hour ordeal, with more travel time still expected.
The challenges extend beyond long delays; in Hillsborough County, mandatory evacuation orders are in effect, and county officials have warned about significant traffic build-ups on I-75 and I-275. Video footage showed northbound traffic on I-75 immobilized for miles.
By 6:30 PM Eastern Time on October 8, Reuters reported that 7,912 gas stations in Florida had run out of fuel, representing about 17.4% of all stations in the state. According to GasBuddy, a fuel market tracker, gas shortages were nearly nonexistent just hours before, on the morning of October 7.
Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, explained, “When people are trying to evacuate dangerous areas, the demand for gasoline skyrockets.”
In Tampa, the rush to prepare for Hurricane Milton led to shelves being cleared out in supermarkets by October 6, as residents stocked up on essential supplies ahead of the storm.
