Nearly 1,500 gas stations are without fuel as the state braces for Hurricane Milton to make landfall.

Since mandatory evacuations have been issued for vulnerable counties, demand for gas has soared, leaving many fueling stations without any more fuel.

GasBudy reported that 19.7% of gas stations are currently without fuel, making up close to 1,477 gas stations left barren.

Energy analyst Patrick De Haan, stated, “It’s a testament to how fast the storm is moving and how intense it is.”

Besides needing fuel for vehicles, many residents of Florida who opted to evacuate are stocking up on gas to power their generators.

Hurricane Milton Evacuation Empties Nearly 1,500 Florida Gas Stations Of All Fuel https://t.co/oKtpfmPnxG pic.twitter.com/II3bS0QvWO

— Jalopnik (@Jalopnik) October 9, 2024

DEVELOPING: 1,000+ gas stations, or 16% of all gas stations in the state of Florida, have run out of fuel – GasBuddy

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 8, 2024

Per CNN:

Gas stations in many areas of Florida are running out of gasoline, as residents prepare for Hurricane Milton.

Demand for gas has surged as some residents in Milton’s path are trying to fuel up before they evacuate. Others who plan to stay put are trying to fill gas tanks so they’ll be able to power their generators should they lose electricity for an extended period.

Gas price tracking service GasBuddy reported that as of 6 pm ET Tuesday evening, 19.7% of gas stations statewide were without fuel, a dramatic spike from just 3% on Monday. With about 7,500 stations in the state, that estimate means there are about 1,477 currently without gasoline. That compares to about 17.4% of gas stations statewide without fuel as of 2 pm ET on Tuesday.

The situation was far worse in areas facing mandatory evacuation orders. In Fort Myers, on the state’s Gulf Coast, 70% of stations were without gas as of Monday night.

“It’s a testament to how fast the storm is moving and how intense it is,” said Patrick De Haan, an energy analyst at GasBuddy. “It’s a game changer.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tried to tamp down panic buying and drivers topping off tanks, which can make shortages worse. DeSantis in a press conference Tuesday morning assured residents that the state is working to bring emergency supplies of gasoline to stations that have run out of gas.

He said the state’s reserves include 110,000 gallons of gasoline and 268,000 gallons of diesel fuel. And he said while those reserves are falling because of distribution that has already taken place, there are 1.2 million gallons of both fuels currently in route to the state. DeSantis said 27 fuel trucks were escorted by the Florida Highway Patrol to deliver fuel to stations in the anticipated impact area of the storm.

Nearly 1,500 Florida gas stations have run out of fuel. They have the logistics and infrastructure to deal with this scenario, which happens every year, yet it keeps on happening. How can people evacuate without gas? https://t.co/1u242IRAd3

— Renérgy (@realrenergy) October 9, 2024

UPDATE: About 1 in 6 Florida gas stations are without fuel, according to @GasBuddyGuy.

As of 2 pm ET, 17.4% of the state's gas stations had no fuel.

That amounts to roughly 1,300 gas stations without gas, per @chrisidore https://t.co/6BofQsyad0 #HurricaneMilton #OOTT

— Matt Egan (@MattEganCNN) October 8, 2024

#BREAKING:
Fill your gas tanks now while you can. Do not wait. Gas stations are shutting down and wrapping up pumps in Sarasota to prevent water damage. #Hurricane #FloridaStorm #Florida #HurricaneMilton #Tampa #TampaBaypic.twitter.com/iiGbcs08nu

— Nizam Tellawi (@nizamtellawi) October 8, 2024

Per Reuters:

A growing number of gas stations were flashing empty signs on Tuesday as panic-buying gripped Florida, where residents are bracing for a monster hurricane to make landfall.

Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 4 storm on Tuesday as it grinded past Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula en route to Florida’s Gulf Coast where over 1 million people were ordered to evacuate. Parts of Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which battered the state at the end of September.

The storm is expected to make landfall on Wednesday.
By 6:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, about 17.4% of 7,912 gasoline stations in Florida had run out of fuel, versus almost no outages on Monday morning, according to data from fuel markets tracker GasBuddy.

Gov. DeSantis says 500,000+ gallons of fuel is on hand in reserve with an additional 1.2 million of gallons currently on the way, with Florida Highway Patrol escorting fuel trucks, to ensure gas stations have fuel. pic.twitter.com/FwyZBLetWJ

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) October 8, 2024