Florida residents return home post-hurricanes to tackle cleanup tasks, struggling with limited access to gas and electricity supplies.
Obstructed by roads obstructed by fallen trees and floodwaters, service providers of fuel and electricity are striving to revive the infrastructure of daily living and restoration efforts, while law enforcement is aiding by escorting fuel tankers to reach those in dire need.
President Joe Biden plans to scrutinize the devastation in Florida post-storm, as declared by the White House. He will conduct an aerial inspection to observe the most severely affected regions, converse with first responders, and address the public in St. Petersburg on Sunday morning.
Here’s the current situation:
• Gas stations still reeling from shortage: Around 30% of Florida's gas stations still lack fuel as of early Sunday, as indicated by tracking website GasBuddy.com. In the afflicted Tampa-St. Petersburg area, over 77% of stations are bereft of fuel. In the Sarasota area, 62% of stations are empty. Around Ft. Myers and Naples, it's 42%, and in the Orlando area, 35% of stations have run dry. More than 37.3 million gallons of fuel have been unloaded at Florida ports, according to Kevin Guthrie, director of the state’s Division of Emergency Management. “We now have 25 Florida Highway Patrol escorts to expedite the arrival of fuel tankers from the port, to replenish the fuel stations,” stated Governor Ron DeSantis. Three public fuel stations in Plant City, Bradenton, and St. Petersburg have been established, providing 10 gallons of free fuel per customer. DeSantis announced that additional stations would be set up in Charlotte, Pinellas, and Hillsborough counties on Sunday.
• Power being gradually restored: As of early Sunday, over 1.25 million people remained in the dark across the state, though there were originally nearly 3 million without power. Teams from various regions are working to reconnect homes and businesses to the electricity grid. The power companies estimate that most people will regain electricity by midweek.
• St. Petersburg offers gas and charging stations: The city of St. Petersburg has set up temporary stations to assist desperate residents, offering charging services for phones and distributing essentials such as bottled water, batteries, and tarps. The city continues to maintain a boil water notice due to multiple line breaks and has 25 teams managing debris removal. “We have experienced two storms in less than two weeks that are unparalleled from a debris removal perspective, but it remains our top priority to restore our city and resume some form of normalcy,” said Mike Jefferis, city enrichment administrator.
• President Biden approves major disaster declaration: President Joe Biden authorized a major disaster declaration for the state on Saturday, according to FEMA. “Federal disaster aid is available to the state of Florida to bolster recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Milton,” from October 5 onward, as stated in a FEMA press release. Biden’s approval provides funding for people in over 30 counties impacted by Milton, according to the release. The aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs.
Flooding slows recovery progress
The lingering flooding issues following Milton’s 16-inch rainfall over Hillsborough County has hampered the region’s recovery from the storm, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Saturday.
“The water doesn’t recede as swiftly as we would prefer, thus delaying the healing process, making this recovery a lengthy endeavor,” Chronister said.
Simultaneously, the National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay maintained flood warnings for rivers in Hillsborough, Sarasota, and Manatee counties, and several other locations, on Saturday. Some warnings were still in effect “until further notice,” according to the weather service.
The Alafia River in Lithia, Florida, and the Hillsborough River, both in the Tampa region, remained at major flood stage by early Sunday.
A CNN crew, accompanied by the sheriff’s office in Hillsborough County, observed widespread flooding in Valrico on Saturday. Front yards and garages were underwater for several blocks, leaving some residents claiming previously unseen levels of flooding.
Chronister said that Hillsborough County teams had conducted over 300 rescues within a 48-hour period, with crews operating round the clock.
Motorists seek relief in gasoline shortage
Numerous Florida drivers, low on fuel for days, lined up outside gas stations on Saturday, hoping to refill their tanks and cans, as shortages persisted in the storm-affected areas.
Some drivers shared their experiences of relying on word of mouth to determine which stations had gas. Drone footage on Saturday morning showed long lines of vehicles at both sides of a Thorntons gas station in Oldsmar, Pinellas County.
One such line, consisting of at least 20 vehicles, ran across the intersection, allowing other vehicles to pass through, video showed. However, some relief was provided to various stations on Saturday, such as at a Wawa in Valrico, Florida, where Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputies escorted a fuel tanker truck, as several drivers waited in line.
A man exiting his parked white pickup truck greeted the tanker truck with a grateful thumbs-up, video showed. Paula Cast told CNN that she and her family visited four or five different gas stations on Friday, but found none with fuel.
Then, on Saturday, they got a call from a friend saying a Wawa station had gas. “So, my son and I immediately rushed over here, and we’ve been in line for about an hour and a half, literally running on empty,” Cast said.
CNN’s Sam Fossum contributed to this report.
Despite President Biden's aid and efforts to restore electricity and fuel supplies, the flooding in Hillsborough County continues to slow down the recovery progress. Battered motorists are still seeking relief from the gasoline shortage, lining up at gas stations for hours in hopes of filling their tanks.
