Demand for gas is surging in Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches, leaving about 17 percent of the state’s gas stations without fuel.
Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for much of the state’s west coast. It’s set to be the first major hurricane to directly hit the Tampa area in more than a century.
Officials are warning that if residents do not follow the evacuation orders, they are risking death. Highways have been packed as people leave town, and the demand for gas has left stations without supply.
According to GasBuddy, as of Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. EDT, 46.5 percent of gas stations in the Tampa and St. Petersburg area were out of fuel. Areas south, including Fort Myers and Naples, have 30 percent of stations without gas. North of Tampa in Gainesville, 25 percent of stations are left without gas.
“It’s a testament to how fast the storm is moving and how intense it is,” Patrick De Haan, an energy analyst at GasBuddy, told CNN.
The hurricane intensified quickly over the Gulf of Mexico and became a Category 5 storm, the highest intensity, Monday. It was temporarily downgraded to a Category 4 early Tuesday, but officials upgraded it to a Category 5 again Tuesday afternoon.
The Tampa and Sarasota areas are expected to see storm surges of 10-15 feet. The National Hurricane Center said Milton is expected to make landfall late Wednesday evening.
President Biden warned residents in the area to follow evacuation orders and listen to warnings as the storm barrels toward the coast.
“If you’re under an evacuation order, you should evacuate now. Now, now, now,” he said Tuesday. “You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death.”