1.2M Gallons Of Gas Heading To Tampa Ahead Of Hurricane Milton

FLORIDA — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said there is no fuel outage in Florida despite reports that 1,000 stations are out of gas ahead of Hurricane Milton.

Some Florida residents are evacuating in preparation for Milton's landfall approach, including to Georgia where the Atlanta Motor Speedway has opened campgrounds for evacuees. Milton was a Category 4 as of early Tuesday, but DeSantis said the system could weaken before hitting Florida.

• SEE ALSO: Tampa Bay-Area Residents Evacuate As Hurricane Milton Takes Aim At FL
• Hurricane Milton: Evacuations Ordered In FL, See Full List By County

The National Hurricane Center at its 10 a.m. update said Tuesday is the "last full day" for residents to evacuate and to prepare their homes and residents for the storm.

"There is no fuel shortage," DeSantis said at a news conference. "Fuel continues to arrive in the state of Florida."

Amid CNN reporting gas is becoming obsolete at some gas stations, DeSantis said central Florida was poised to receive 1.2 million gallons of gas.

Of the 7,500 gas stations in Florida, CNN said at least 1,000 are out of fuel.

People are not only using gas to evacuate, they are also powering their generators, CNN said.

SEE ALSO: ‘Worst-Case’ Scenario: Hurricane Milton Barrels Towards FL, Tampa Bay

Across Florida, the news outlet said 14.5 percent of gas stations remained without gas. On Monday, the outage was at 3 percent, CNN reported, citing the gas price tracking source GasBuddy.

Jared W. Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, underscored DeSantis' point that "fuel is continuing to move."

Perdue said Port Tampa Bay has received six shipments of fuel since Saturday, adding the gas is being distributed.

He advised drivers can use alternative routes while evacuating, as "traffic will be heavy." Drivers may utilize FL511 for travel information. FL511 also shows a map indicating temporary EV charging stations.

"Please do not wait until the last minute to leave," Perdue said.

GasBuddy recommends the following tips during hurricanes:

• Avoid Hoarding Gas: Whether you are evacuating or staying put, get enough gas to fill your tank and do not fill up extra containers. Except in extreme situations, gas stations fuel outages are noticeably replenished four days after the hurricane makes landfall.
• Report Fuel Outages: Reporting fuel outages in the GasBuddy app helps fellow motorists evacuate safely and informs government agencies on where to send fuel trucks before and after a storm.

The site lists the top 10 gas stations in Florida and shows which ones have no power or gas.