{"id":2015042,"date":"2023-08-29T03:00:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T07:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gas-contamination-could-hinder-storm-evacuation-in-florida\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T03:05:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T07:05:31","slug":"gas-contamination-could-hinder-storm-evacuation-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gas-contamination-could-hinder-storm-evacuation-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Gas contamination may impede Florida storm evacuation."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgas-contamination-could-hinder-storm-evacuation-in-florida%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2015042&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Tropical\u2063 Storm Idalia Threatens Florida with Major\u2063 Hurricane<\/h2>\n<p>Tropical Storm Idalia is \u200bcurrently on track to make landfall \u200din Florida on Aug. 30 as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-doubling-spending-to-prepare-for-hurricanes-storms\/\" title=\"Biden Doubling Spending to Prepare for Hurricanes, Storms\">major hurricane<\/a> and, due to a gas \u200bcontamination\u2062 incident, those in its path \u2062may be unable to flee.<\/p>\n<p>State officials warned on Aug.\u2063 27 of \u201cpotentially widespread fuel contamination\u201d affecting up to 29 gas \u2064stations serviced by the Port of Tampa. \u2062The cause, they said, \u2062was\u00a0\u201chuman error.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In\u2062 a statement, Houston-based Citgo chalked up the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/deltacron-or-is-it-just-testing-cross-contamination-of-two-variants\/\" title=\"\u2018Deltacron\u2019? Or Is It Just Testing Cross-Contamination Of Two Variants?\">cross-contamination<\/a> of its diesel and\u200d regular gasoline \u200bto a product routing issue at its \u200bTampa\u200d terminal.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/desantis-lays-out-proactive-preparation-for-floridas-first-hurricane-hit-of-2023-post-5481476\">DeSantis Warns Floridians to Be &#8216;Vigilant&#8217; as Idalia Approaches<\/a> \u2063- 8\/27\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/five-months-on-victims-of-hurricane-ian-are-still-living-in-limbo-5086165\">5 Months On, Victims of Hurricane Ian Still Live in Limbo<\/a> &#8211; 2\/27\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The fuel could damage \u2063the engines\u200c of those who purchased gas at the\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fdacs.gov\/News-Events\/Press-Releases\/2023-Press-Releases\/UPDATE-FDACS-Identifies-Potential-Fuel-Contamination-at-the-Port-of-Tampa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">affected stations<\/a> after 10 a.m. \u200con\u2064 Aug. 26, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gas-contamination-could-hinder-storm-evacuation-in-florida\/\" title=\"Gas contamination may impede Florida storm evacuation.\">leaving evacuees stranded en route<\/a> to higher ground.<\/p>\n<p>And that could be quite\u200c a few people, as most of\u200d the stations on the list\u200d are in the\u2063 area \u200clikely to be \u2064battered by Idalia as it closes in on Florida\u2019s Gulf Coast.<\/p>\n<p>Providing\u200d an update on the situation at an Aug. 28 press conference, \u200dFlorida\u2019s Commissioner of\u2063 Agriculture Wilton Simpson said that\u200d the state was inspecting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicago-gas-stations-partnering-with-armed-security-to-protect-customers-amid-carjacking-epidemic\/\" title=\"Chicago Gas Stations Partnering With Armed Security To Protect Customers Amid \u2018Carjacking Epidemic\u2019\">gas stations<\/a> to determine the extent of the contamination.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve gotten the results \u200cback of\u200d three\u200c of them now. One \u2064was clear;\u2064 two have\u2064 got to be evacuated,\u201d \u2063Mr. Simpson said. \u201cWe\u2019re working\u2063 with DEM [Florida Department of Emergency Management] to get those \u2062fuels evacuated and replaced with \u200bclean fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that \u2062officials hoped to have all the impacted gas stations identified\u2064 by\u200c the end\u200c of\u2063 the day so the\u2063 unaffected ones could reopen.<\/p>\n<p>Individuals who\u2064 believe they might have purchased\u2064 contaminated gas can file\u2062 a complaint with the state\u2019s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services\u2062 (FDACS)\u2064 at\u200b <a href=\"http:\/\/www.FDACS.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.FDACS.gov<\/a> \u200bor by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA.<\/p>\n<p>The gas contamination is not expected\u200b to have a major impact on the \u2062state\u2019s fuel supply.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>State of Emergency<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As Idalia bore down on Cuba on\u200d Aug. 28, 46 of Florida\u2019s 67 counties were already in a governor-ordered state \u2062of \u200demergency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTropical Storm Idalia continues to \u2062gather strength. It\u2064 will become a hurricane today and it is \u200cforecast to reach landfall as a major hurricane\u2014a Category 3,\u201d Gov. Ron DeSantis told\u200b reporters at the morning \u200bupdate.<\/p>\n<p>Although \u2062officials predicted that Idalia would peak as a Category 2 hurricane, projections \u2064for the storm\u2019s severity worsened overnight as it intensified over\u2063 the warm waters\u200b of the Gulf of Mexico.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Dozens of cars\u200d queue \u2063up outside a\u2064 Gainesville, Fla., gas station to fuel up ahead of Tropical Storm Idalia on Aug. 28, 2023. (Nanette Holt\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The storm was \u2062forecast\u2063 to make landfall\u2064 on\u2063 Aug. 30 along \u2063Florida\u2019s\u200c Big Bend\u200c region, which spans the coast from\u2062 just \u200bsouth of\u200c Tallahassee down to\u200d Tampa.<\/p>\n<p>Urging residents to prepare\u2063 for \u201cmajor impacts,\u201d the governor noted that evacuation orders would be issued for those in\u200d low-lying \u2063areas likely to be pounded by storm surge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeep in mind, if you\u2019re told to evacuate, \u200byou do \u2062not \u200bneed to drive hundreds of miles, you do not need\u2064 to leave the\u2064 state of Florida,\u201d the governor noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou \u200cbasically need to go to higher ground \u200bin almost every instance. You can go tens of miles \u2063to a shelter, \u2062to a hotel, to a friend\u2019s house, whatever works for you, \u200band you\u2019ll be able to ride out the \u200cstorm.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Ian on Florida\u2019s Mind<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As\u200b Idalia\u200c inched its way closer to \u200bthe Sunshine State, cars could already \u2064be seen \u2062lining up at gas\u2062 stations as residents made their preparations.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bstorm \u2062comes as many Floridians are \u200cstill rebuilding \u2062from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/ian-strengthens-to-a-category-4-hurricane-as-it-nears-florida-4760272\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hurricane Ian<\/a>, which devastated Southwest Florida last September.<\/p>\n<p>The catastrophic Category 5 hurricane claimed more than 150 lives, making it Florida\u2019s deadliest hurricane since 1935. It was also\u200c the state\u2019s costliest storm on record, \u200dracking up \u200cmore\u200d than $109 billion in \u200cdamage.<\/p>\n<p>And\u2062 as \u2062home insurers continue to reduce\u2063 their business or withdraw from the Florida market altogether, the recovery has not been easy.<\/p>\n<p>For Justin Willis,\u2064 a\u2062 North Port resident who \u2063lost his home during Hurricane\u2062 Ian, the possibility of getting\u2062 hit by another\u2062 damaging storm is nerve-wracking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have been honestly trying \u2062to avoid the news as much as possible because\u200b I just don\u2019t want to stress until it\u2019s necessary,\u201d he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mysuncoast.com\/2023\/08\/28\/north-port-residents-prepare-idalia-while-still-recovering-ian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WWSB<\/a> on Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Still, he stressed \u200dthat it \u2062is important for residents\u200b to prepare themselves for what\u2064 the storm might bring.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s enough to scare you a little bit,\u200b but at the\u200d same time, it\u2019s just as important\u200d to remember to be prepared and be prepared for whatever is \u200ccoming.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a message that Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) echoed in an Aug. 28\u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rickscott.senate.gov\/2023\/8\/sen-rick-scott-prepare-now-for-deadly-impacts-of-major-hurricane-idalia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a>, urging Floridians \u200cto \u201ctake\u2063 this storm serious.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tropical Storm Idalia heads towards Florida, expected to hit on Aug. 30 as a major hurricane. However, a gas contamination incident may hinder evacuation efforts. State officials caution about potential fuel contamination at 29 gas stations served by the Port, posing challenges for those in the storm&#8217;s path.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1226,"featured_media":2015043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2015042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1226"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2015042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2015042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2015042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2015042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}