More than 1,300 gas stations in Florida have run out of fuel amid the mass exodus of people due to the imminent arrival of Hurricane Milton.
According to data from the GasBuddy Fuel Availability Tracker, 17.4% (1,356) of the 7,912 gas stations in the state are out of fuel.
Patrick De Haan, director of oil analysis at the technology company, told CNBC that many simply cannot meet the demand for gasoline, as millions of Floridians are evacuated, and he added that prices should not increase as the infrastructure and refineries are not expected to be affected by the storm.
"Most of this is simply due to the fact that people are trying to protect themselves," he stated.
Governor Ron DeSantis revealed on Tuesday that the state was stockpiling fuel ahead of the storm, and that although gas stations are running out of fuel and the lines are long, there is no shortage.
DeSantis detailed that fuel continues to arrive in Florida by port and trucks have been sending supplies to the stations in the projected impact area. He specified that the port of Tampa and others on the Gulf Coast are no longer receiving ships, but the facilities have fuel on hand and operations at the dock will continue.
Andy Lipow, president of the consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates, recalled that Florida has no oil refineries and produces only 2,000 barrels of oil daily. Several terminals along the coast of Tampa could be affected by Milton.
"They are at risk from storm surges, flooding, and power outages. Significant damage to these facilities will impact the ability to bring gasoline and diesel back to the area for distribution," he noted.
According to Lipow, it will probably not be possible to deliver gasoline by tanker trucks in Tampa until Sunday at the earliest. However, terminals with power supply could start distributing fuel over the weekend depending on the availability of workers and truck drivers, and whether local gas stations are operational.
On Tuesday, Hurricane Milton reached Category 5 again, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 165 mph (265 km/h).
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Florida residents that "they must prepare their families and homes and evacuate if instructed to do so."
The arrival of the phenomenon put millions of people in the Sunshine State on alert, and authorities activated emergency plans, including large-scale evacuations.
Kevin Guthrie, director of Florida's Division of Emergency Management. Guthrie urged people in vulnerable areas to consider evacuating as soon as possible, anticipating what could be one of the largest evacuations since the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017.
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