Tropical Storm Idalia is currently on track to make landfall in Florida on Aug. 30 as a major hurricane and, due to a gas contamination incident, those in its path may be unable to flee.
State officials warned on Aug. 27 of “potentially widespread fuel contamination” affecting up to 29 gas stations serviced by the Port of Tampa. The cause, they said, was “human error.”
In a statement, Houston-based Citgo chalked up the cross-contamination of its diesel and regular gasoline to a product routing issue at its Tampa terminal.
And that could be quite a few people, as most of the stations on the list are in the area likely to be battered by Idalia as it closes in on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Providing an update on the situation at an Aug. 28 press conference, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said that the state was inspecting the gas stations to determine the extent of the contamination.
“We’ve gotten the results back of three of them now. One was clear; two have got to be evacuated,” Mr. Simpson said. “We’re working with DEM [Florida Department of Emergency Management] to get those fuels evacuated and replaced with clean fuel.”
He added that officials hoped to have all the impacted gas stations identified by the end of the day so the unaffected ones could reopen.
State of Emergency
As Idalia bore down on Cuba on Aug. 28, 46 of Florida’s 67 counties were already in a governor-ordered state of emergency.“Tropical Storm Idalia continues to gather strength. It will become a hurricane today and it is forecast to reach landfall as a major hurricane—a Category 3,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters at the morning update.
Although officials predicted that Idalia would peak as a Category 2 hurricane, projections for the storm’s severity worsened overnight as it intensified over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm was forecast to make landfall on Aug. 30 along Florida’s Big Bend region, which spans the coast from just south of Tallahassee down to Tampa.
Urging residents to prepare for “major impacts,” the governor noted that evacuation orders would be issued for those in low-lying areas likely to be pounded by storm surge.
“Keep in mind, if you’re told to evacuate, you do not need to drive hundreds of miles, you do not need to leave the state of Florida,” the governor noted.
Ian on Florida’s Mind
As Idalia inched its way closer to the Sunshine State, cars could already be seen lining up at gas stations as residents made their preparations.The catastrophic Category 5 hurricane claimed more than 150 lives, making it Florida’s deadliest hurricane since 1935. It was also the state’s costliest storm on record, racking up more than $109 billion in damage.
And as home insurers continue to reduce their business or withdraw from the Florida market altogether, the recovery has not been easy.
For Justin Willis, a North Port resident who lost his home during Hurricane Ian, the possibility of getting hit by another damaging storm is nerve-wracking.
Still, he stressed that it is important for residents to prepare themselves for what the storm might bring.
“It’s enough to scare you a little bit, but at the same time, it’s just as important to remember to be prepared and be prepared for whatever is coming.”
“As we saw with Ian, the storm track can change last minute and Michael showed us that these storms can intensify incredibly fast—from a tropical storm to a deadly Cat 5 in less than three days,” he noted.
“You need to be prepared to evacuate even if you’re outside of the cone.”
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm surge is projected to reach up to 11 feet in the Big Bend region and up to 7 feet near Tampa.
Although intense winds can damage buildings and structures too, storm surge is considered to be the deadliest product of a hurricane or tropical storm.
“You cannot hide from rising water,” the senator added. “This storm surge will kill you. If asked by local officials to leave your home, get out!”
