The massive effort to distribute fuel throughout South Florida was expanding Wednesday, as drivers continued to experience delays at gas stations.
Officials at Port Everglades said Wednesday morning that 9 of the 12 gas terminals have recovered from last week's severe flooding that led to the fuel delivery disruptions.
"All indicators are pointing to more fuel getting to gas stations in southern Florida faster," port officials said in a statement. "The delays in delivery are expected to continue to decrease."
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Officials stressed that there was no shortage of gas, diesel, jet fuel or other petroleum products, but said drivers should only buy the gas they need.
"Until the privately run petroleum companies are fully operational and retail gas stations replenished, drivers should be judicious about their gas purchases and usage," officials said. "Buy the gas that you need to take care of the essentials. Consider your neighbor, coworker or friend who may be in need."
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At a news conference Wednesday, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also asked people to not "over pump" gas amid the distribution issues.
"We ask that you please only purchase gas when you absolutely need it," Levine Cava said. "Overly stocking up on gas is creating an extra strain on the delivery system. In other words, there's no need to panic, don't pump extra gas."
Levine Cava said police were also assisting with getting tankers through long lines at gas stations to deliver fuel.
Some drivers NBC6 spoke with Tuesday evening said they'd waited in line for an hour and a half to two hours to buy gas.
Natacha Armbrister said she waited for about two hours Tuesday to fill up at U Gas on Pines Boulevard and Southwest 70th Avenue in Pembroke Pines.
"I can’t go anywhere else even if I wanted to," Armbrister said. "I’ll be patient but there’s really nothing else I can do."
At the Chevron on Miramar Parkway at Interstate 75, drivers waited in long lines before gas ran out Wednesday morning.
"It’s very hard," said Sharon Marcano, who was there as the plastic bags came out to cover the pumps.
Meanwhile, gasoline from companies that operate at the ports in Tampa and Canaveral was being delivered to South Florida stations to supplement supplies.
And the Florida Division of Emergency Management said Tuesday that they were deploying over 500,000 gallons of fuel to stations in South Florida.
The first fleet of trucks arrived Tuesday night, with continued arrivals scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, emergency management officials said.
The Florida Highway Patrol began escorting fuel trucks Tuesday night in an effort to safely get gas delivered to stations, officials said.
Some portions of Fort Lauderdale experienced more than 25 inches of rain in just one 24-hour period last week, a record-breaking rainfall amount that left flooding damage to the private petroleum companies at Port Everglades.
