For the past week, closed gas stations, long lines, and hours of waiting for gas have been what Miami drivers have had to deal with. Constant questions and complaints engulf social media. Tweets like “4 gas stations later” and “This Miami gas shortage is insane! Finally found a station that got a shipment and has been waiting in line for over an hour.”.
Islander News reports that the crisis is made worse by people “panic buying.” However, while many people are supposedly panicking and buying gas unnecessarily, the fact of the matter is that the city is currently counting on less than half of all established gas stations. 58% of Miami’s gas stations are reporting being out of gas as of this morning.
This, coupled with the fact that Miami public transportation is not the best, has caused the cancellation of many things: “The Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board is canceling the board meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, in the 18-4 conference room of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street, Miami, FL 33128. The Board did not have quorum due to the gas shortage.”
This unfortunate gas shortage is due to the devastating flooding and torrential rain brought by a historic storm last week. It brought more than two feet of rain to Fort Lauderdale and caused gas distribution issues since various petroleum terminals were victims of the flooding.
Miami residents are full of anxiety due to the circumstances. “You know, it’s really crazy, the anxiety it gives,” Eduardo Travieso said to CBS Miami. “Like, last night, I was driving all over the place. Like, I work this morning; I’m supposed to be at work already.”
Hopefully, this issue will be resolved shortly because it is getting in the way of Miami drivers and their everyday life. However, Patrick De Haan, head petroleum analyst, does not offer a specific time: “All of this is going to improve; it’s a matter of time,”
