Across Florida, there is a rush on fuel, food and storm supplies ahead of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to be a powerful major hurricane when it makes landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast later this week.
Some areas are already seeing shortages in supplies like toilet paper and water, along with long lines at gas stations.
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In Northeast Florida, the time to get supplies is now as we’re expected to begin seeing storm impacts on Wednesday.
At the Walmart on State Road 19, customers can purchase no more than two cases of water per person or three one-gallon bottles.
The Publix in Rivertown saw its paper products shelves go bare on Monday.
It’s been an issue at a lot of stores for weeks.
First with Helene, then with the panic buying during last week’s port strike and now with folks preparing for Hurricane Milton.
There are also statewide issues with gas supplies, particularly with regular gas as people evacuate from Southwest Florida and the Tampa Bay area.
On Tuesday morning, Gas Buddy reported more than 18% of gas stations in the Fort Myers/Naples area are out of gas.
Nearly 15% of Tampa gas stations were also empty, along with 3% in Orlando and just 0.5% in Jacksonville.
To help keep traffic moving, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is working with Florida’s ports and fuel industry partners to ensure enough fuel is available.
The state is also deploying fuel and EV chargers along evacuation routes, and the Florida Highway Patro; is providing security at those sites.
Keep an eye on the prices at the pump and at grocery stores. If you notice a significant jump in prices or suspect price gouging, call the state’s price gouging hotline at 866- 966-7226. Price gouging is illegal during a state of emergency.