Drivers struggle finding gas after Hurricane Milton

BRANDON, Fla. (WFLA) — For many drivers, they are experiencing a long wait for gas throughout Tampa Bay, especially in Hillsborough County — that’s if they are fortunate enough to find it.

Driver Patti Cox stopped at a station in Brandon.

“I’ve been waiting for an hour now,” Cox said. “Right now, it says refill tank. I didn’t start out that way.”

Others, like Jason Hughes, are spending time and using gas driving around Tampa in what feels like circles. He eventually stopped at a gas station without fuel. He and his co-worker are leaning on roadside assistance.

“We drove around the entire city looking for gas. This is unfortunately our last stop,” Hughes said.

Hughes, who works for Solgevity USA, is only in Tampa Bay to help storm victims.

“We’re here to help but we need help now,” Hughes said.

Fuel tracking site Gas Buddy found, as of Friday afternoon, close to 80% of gas stations had run dry. One reason for the struggle to find fuel is Port Tampa Bay. It’s a key source for gas for half the state.

Lisa Wolf-Chason is a spokesperson for the port.

“The initial hold up was power,” Wolf-Chason said.

Now that the port’s seven fuel terminals have power to fuel the big gas trucks, as of Friday night, all of them were still not active.

“As soon as the safety checks are completed, they’ll be able to re-fuel those fuel trucks to be able to get out into the community,” Wolf-Chason said.

But many areas are still without power, impacting many gas stations.

Mary Lou Carn with Tampa Electric says crews are working to get substations operating completely, which will significantly help restore power.

“Some of the more severe impacts have been our transmission lines, mostly due to debris, but the good news is those fixes should be quick and will significantly help restore power to many people as these lines enable delivery of power to our substations on distribution networks,” Carn said.

Late Friday night, Tampa Electric said some areas in Hillsborough County could be without power until Oct. 17, although it expects most to have power by Tuesday.

This is all taking time and for some the frustration is boiling over.

One driver at a Brandon gas station was turned away after trying to skip a long line.

Hillsborough deputies say their call center has taken multiple calls about arguments over gas but none were violent.

For the gas stations and drivers waiting to learn more about power, here is an explainer about the power restoration process from TECO: Power Restoration (tampaelectric.com)

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