Customers search for gas station with gas following Hurricane Matthew.
Following Hurricane Matthew, Palm Beach County, Fla. residents on Friday struggled to fuel up amidst closed gas stations, according to the Palm Beach Post, which visited 20 stations in West Palm Beach and found only half had fuel.
AAA reported that such shortages were common across the state of Florida due to pre-hurricane demand and interrupted supply, but the shortages are only temporary as ports had been expected to reopen Monday and no refineries were impacted by the storm.
“There’s plenty of gas in the state,” James Miller, Florida Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association told the Palm Beach Post. “The issue is logistically getting it from the ports and tankers and into the individual gas stations.”
Gov. Rick Scott on Friday said Florida had a five-day supply of fuel. The state’s anti-gouging law, passed after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, bans businesses from boosting prices for gas or other items in high demand during a storm.