Posted on 11/03/2017 11:12:26 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
A few weeks after calling on the Florida Department of Transportation to re-examine hurricane evacuation routes, Gov. Rick Scott is now directing the agency to look for ways to increase fuel capacity during such emergencies.
During evacuations for Hurricane Irma, gas stations around the state reported running out of fuel. Scott said the FDOT study, which would be submitted in January, address such shortages and how to overcome them.
“Last month, 6.8 million Floridians evacuated in preparation for Hurricane Irma, the largest evacuation in U.S. history, and we are committed to making sure our state remains fully prepared for any potential disaster,” Scott said in a statement. “Increasing the availability of fuel for evacuations at Florida gas stations is a top priority, and I look forward to reviewing FDOT’s findings.”
FDOT will work with other state agencies, Florida ports, law enforcement and fuel retailers on how to increase fuel capacity during emergencies, the statement says.
Before and after Irma’s arrival, Scott had ordered law enforcement to escort fuel trucks. At one point, more than half of gas stations in South Florida and up into Jacksonville reported being out of fuel. After the storm, the state’s ports were out of commission and could not accept fuel shipments, which exacerbated the post-Irma fuel shortage.
Scott also hopes to improve evacuation routes from the Interstate 75/Florida Turnpike Interchange near Wildwood to the Florida-Georgia state line and has directed FDOT to work with other agencies to look for solutions. That report is also expected in January.
Underground fuel tanks alongside the highways. And get rid of price controls.
.
Best way to deal with this is to take personal responsibility all the time, and have your own emergency supply at home, that you can replace annually to keep it fresh.
I’ve been doing this for over 50 years.
.
Of course you’d have to refuel the temporary equipment. But that is a simple logistical consideration that is pretty easy to figure out. The basic premise seem very low cost and workable. Again, yes, you would have to build some very minimal infrastructure, but the idea is sound. Have tankers set up at state rest stops and other places, or even pre-build small grass cut outs along the highways for future emergency use. Not that hard. Refuel the temporary trucks along a route with a bladder underneath a helicopter. I don’t know, but the idea seems pretty low-cost and workable.
.
You’re a born hand waver!
Everything takes time. Best for every driver to take the time way in advance, and also consiously keep vehicle tanks filled by habit.
.
Old... you could NEVER get that past the EPA Environazi’s.
Some steps:
1) When hurricane initially looks like it might hit Florida, tell people that the price of gas WILL be allowed to double if mass evacuation is announced, and that they should fill up now. This will create an early rush to fill up, and drain the gas stations enough to create room for more gas.
2) Tell the gas stations that the ONLY stations which will be exempted from the "anti-price-gouging" laws will be stations which were full to capacity at the moment the state of emergency was declared. This will create an incentive to pay extra to get a full fuel truck on site.
One solution that all east coast states should consider is CNG bifuel vehicles in their fleets. That way public vehicles can refuel using natural gas as a second fuel source not tied to the gasoline supply. CNG is also a lot cheaper than gasoline.
Not sure what a born hand waver is, but maybe, huh?
Generally speaking the government should not be ordering mass evacuation like this unless there is more certainty than a possible, could be, hurricane.
The amount of dire warnings strongly implying that people were going to certainly die if they stayed was absurd and almost comical. Unless Tampa received a direct nuclear strike I don't think it make a whole lot sense to try and have tens of millions of people evacuate in a near panic.
.
The BS agenda of Gorebal warming is what is in control in Fla.
Obviously, electric cars are the answer. They don’t need fuel. /s
In an extraordinary situation like that, and yes even in Florida such a massive evacuation is extraordinary, some of the responsibility has to fall on individuals. The only fuel storage most people have is their vehicles, yet running out and gassing up ahead of the storm has been condemned, I’ve seen it even on FR, called hoarding. No, obviously it’s not hoarding in light of what happened in the lead up and aftermath of Irma. So, the governor’s actions were prudent, responsible and yet still not enough.
The very concept of massive evacuation needs to be revisited, with evac limited to those in the most immediate danger first, phase it by zones. It’s also responsible to have means of transport available that do not depend upon gasoline. That could be diesel, that could be natural gas, that could be electric. Electric vehicles have long been condemned on FR by some because they’re suspected of being a government-subsidized boondoggle and perhaps in many instance they are. They also famously have rather limited range. But, limited range is far superior to no range at all if your car is on empty and you can’t find any gas.
Bullet trains from N/S/E/W terminating at Disney. Shelter in style and gayness.
“I have been developing a car that runs on panic.”
*
Make it a smart car and libs will buy it like crazy for the next seven years.
As long as electric vehicles aren’t subsidized or given tax breaks (and the GOP tax plan gets rid of at least some of that), people can drive them to their hearts’ content.
Wow,amazing,
So what do ya do fill your back seat with gas cans? what if ya got 4 kids and 2 dogs and a wife.
Some cant afford a tanker trailer for their cars.
Do you live in S Fl and how much aux fuel do you need to be independent from gas stations and to make sure you have enough to get you to where your once again on open road and out of harms way?
You can fill your tank and fill your trunk with gas cans if you think you won’t have the range to get out of Florida.
But if you are waiting on the government to save you, you are in bad shape.
Not every one has room for gas cans (plural) in the trunk especially if they have a family that needs clothing and personal items for an extend period away from home.
Now if your a miserable old fart with an empty car and plenty of room for aux tanks,congratulations enjoy the ride
Bwhahahaha...
Please, don’t pop the liberal’s bubble.
If you’re refilling the temporary equipment, why not just refill the permanent equipment? The issue isn’t that there aren’t places to get fuel, it’s that there’s no fuel at the places to go. Tankers can’t deliver fuel when all the highways lanes are one-way leave town. Ports can’t take on fuel when the infrastructure is damaged/flooded. Underground storage tanks need to be inspected probably before using them after flooding.
As for helicopter delivery, it’s not very practical. A Chinook can lift 24k pounds, or about 4000 gallons. Assuming 20gal tanks, one delivery only fills 200 vehicles.
But, you have to look at cost: ignoring the $20-40M initial purchase, Chinook operating costs are somewhere around $2k-4500/hr. Assuming a flight from offshore to middle of FL, would be around a half hour. So that’s at least $.50 to a dollar a gallon in operating costs, with no markup. And no factoring of operating cost of wherever the birds are coming from.
Now, who has all this capability? I doubt any gas companies own Chinooks, much less franchise station owners. The birds they do have aren’t going to be heavy-lifters. Their people probably aren’t very qualified on sling-load operations. Most tankers are oil ships, and the few gas tankers probably don’t have immediate refueling capability - they dock into special ports to offload. Also, how are they refueling the birds? It’s not like a gas station where you just poke a nozzle in the side of your vehicle.
Is the Army/Navy doing this? (Note the Navy’s Seahawk, their version of the Chinook, only lifts about 9k lbs, not 24k. We’re down to less than 100 vehicles per delivery, ) If so, how is the military picking which stations get fuel? How is the military providing fuel/containers? All our stuff is diesel/aviation fuel, including tankers. Who’s paying for it all? The military isn’t a complimentary delivery service for the oil companies.
This type of stuff is fine in a rescue situation, but isn’t near practical as a fuel delivery system for masses of people driving.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.