Highways are jammed, gas is running out… 6.5 million people in Florida rush to evacuate, 9 counties order mandatory evacuation_2

Hurricane Milton is currently barreling toward Florida, creating a dire situation for millions of residents. With mandatory evacuation orders now in effect, many have been rushing to leave their homes, resulting in extensive traffic jams on the highways and fuel shortages at local gas stations.

Meteorological experts have labeled Hurricane Milton as the most powerful storm to threaten the Gulf of Mexico since 2005. As of now, nine counties in Florida have issued mandatory evacuation directives in preparation for the storm’s anticipated landfall on October 9.

According to a report from The New York Times on October 8, around 6.5 million people have been urgently evacuating from along Florida’s Gulf Coast as the storm looms closer. The heavy traffic has led to significant delays, and many gas stations are running low on fuel.

Kevin Guthrie, the Executive Director of the Florida Emergency Management Department, stated that this could represent the largest evacuation effort in the state since Hurricane Irma hit in 2017. Officials are strongly encouraging residents within the evacuation zones to leave as soon as possible to avoid being caught in traffic.

On October 7, the Sarasota County government warned via social media, “This will be the largest evacuation operation on Florida’s West Coast. If you wait, you’ll get caught in the traffic.” Even those who attempted to leave early are encountering severe congestion and empty gas stations, with travel times ballooning by several hours.

Jacqueline Camenisch, 62, made the decision to cut short her family vacation in Orlando and head north with her grandchildren. She had originally planned to stay in Gainesville, merely 100 miles away, but found that all accommodations there were fully booked. Instead, she opted for an alternate route along Florida’s West Coast before taking Interstate 75 toward Panama City. Speaking from her car at 2:30 AM on October 8, she reflected that a journey normally taking less than six hours had already lasted seven and a half, with at least another hour still ahead. “I’ve never seen this much traffic,” she remarked, calling the experience “terrible” while pointing out the sluggish movement on the road.

In Hillsborough County, a mandatory evacuation order has also been issued, with local officials cautioning about major delays on Interstate 75 and Interstate 275. Videos circulating on social media are showing traffic almost at a standstill on Interstate 75, stretching for miles as people head north.

A report from Reuters indicated that by 6:30 PM Eastern Time on October 8, nearly 8,000 gas stations in Florida had run out of fuel, which accounts for approximately 17.4% of the total gas stations in the state. Data from fuel market tracker GasBuddy also revealed that there had been minimal fuel shortages just the morning prior.

Patrick De Haan, a petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, commented, “When people rush to evacuate dangerous areas, gasoline demand skyrockets.”