But there may be a glimmer of hope that the worst of the gas-pump bedlam is behind us.
Among other developments, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced that a bulk shipment of gas made its way to South Florida.
On Tuesday, April 18, the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) said it had deployed more than 500,000 gallons of fuel to South Florida, noting that the first set of trucks was set to reach gas stations that evening, with more arriving today. According to the emergency management division, SERT has pulled fuel from Port Canaveral and Tampa since last Friday as Port Everglades worked to de-water its fuel racks.
Gas distribution from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale was heavily disrupted by the storm last week. Pumps at the port were flooded, leading to delays in getting fuel into tankers for transport to local gas stations, according to Broward County Mayor Lamar Fisher. Fisher said on April 17 that the port was operating at only half of its normal seven-million-gallon fuel output.
Jonathan Daniels, director of Port Everglades, said that virtually all of Miami-Dade and Broward counties' gas goes through the port.
This morning, Broward County stated that nine of the twelve gas terminals at Port Everglades are back up and running. Though distribution is still a challenge, the county told residents that "there is no shortage of gas" at the port.
"Delays at the pump are expected to decrease as fuel trucks continue to deliver to stations," the county said.
Gasoline from companies from Tampa and Canaveral are still delivering directly to stations to supplement.
— Broward County, FL (@ReadyBroward) April 19, 2023
Fuel ships continue to bring petroleum products to Port Everglades. There is no shortage of gas.
As of 9 a.m., fuel tracker Gas Buddy estimated that 58 percent of gas stations in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area and 33 percent of West Palm Beach gas stations remain without fuel.
Inspectors from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services meanwhile are checking gas station pumps for malfunctions and testing the quality of fuel.
While the two feet of rainfall that dropped on Broward in a single evening delayed gas deliveries last week, the inclement weather may not be the only factor to blame for the fuel woes. Some of the shortages at local gas stations have been linked to people "panic buying" and causing a run on gas as they scramble across town trying to top off their cars' fuel tanks. This left those who actually needed gas waiting in hour-long gas station lines in some instances.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a Wednesday press conference that fuel availability is expected to improve in the coming days. She urged residents, however, not to fill up unless they need to.
"Overly stocking up on gas is creating an extra strain on the delivery system. In other words, there's no need to panic," the mayor said.
Mayor Fisher said that the historic storm disrupted fuel infrastructure even more than some hurricanes have in the past.This Miami gas shortage is insane! Finally found a station that got a shipment and have been waiting in line for over an hour. 🤯⛽️
— Jonathan Long 🍌 (@long) April 19, 2023
"What is the difference between this and maybe a hurricane? In a hurricane scenario we are able to prepare in advance," Fisher said. "We've talked till we're blue in the faces about it being a thousand-year storm — we just couldn't predict the amount of rain, the amount of water it was going to produce throughout our county."
To put the deluge in perspective, the rainfall total recorded at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in one evening last week was enough to break a monthly record.
In addition to coordinating fuel deliveries, SERT has deployed 20 flood mitigation systems including water pumps and vacuum trucks to Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, and Hollywood. The state emergency management division also sent staff to Broward County to assist in assessing the damage in the area.
