Tampa Bay residents, affected by Hurricane Milton and dealing with a fuel crisis in its aftermath, received an update on the situation. Yesterday, Mayor Jane Castor addressed the gas shortages in the region, noting the connection between the natural disaster and infrastructure issues. "That is the issue with gasoline right now," Castor said. Flooding from the hurricane had made it near impossible to quickly transport gasoline from Port Tampa Bay to the local gas stations, according to WFLA.
In a bid to reassure the city, Port Tampa Bay confirmed that their terminals were indeed energized and ready to receive and dispatch fuel trucks. Lisa Wolf-Chason, the port's spokeswoman, informed that half of the terminals were expected to be operational by last night, and the remainder aimed to swiftly follow suit. Significant progress was made as the water receded and properties were assessed, a necessary step to ensure that fuel distribution could proceed without issues. Efforts to fully restore the port's operations continued, with expectations for complete functionality by today. The Tampa Bay Times reported that more vessels carrying fuel were on their way to the terminals to assist in addressing the crisis.
GasBuddy's trackers showed that over three-quarters of gas stations in Tampa and St. Petersburg were without power, gas, or both as of Friday afternoon, reflecting the storm's impact on operations. Statewide, nearly 30% faced similar shortages. As of this morning, there had been no updates on the situation, leading many to seek fuel amid long lines and empty pumps, according to a Tampa Bay Times report from Friday night.
Meanwhile, electric utility TECO was working to address the widespread blackouts caused by the hurricane, leaving nearly 600,000 customers without power. To expedite the restoration efforts, TECO mobilized a workforce of 6,000 workers from across North America. Marylou Carn from TECO acknowledged the significant challenges ahead, as debris from the storm added to the complexity of the restoration process. "We will experience a longer restoration time than our community experienced with prior storms," Carn told FOX13.
