Governor: 'Take Only The Fuel You Need' For Hurricane Irma

HIALEAH, FL — Florida Gov. Rick Scott appealed to residents to "take only the fuel you need" as the Miami area and others parts of the state have seen winding gas lines and fuel shortages ahead of Hurricane Irma's arrival this weekend. A number of gas stations have run out of fuel as Florida residents make their way to safer ground elsewhere in the state or outside of Florida. You can find out which gas stations are out of fuel on GasBuddy.com or through the GasBuddy app.

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Speaking from an emergency management center in Hialeah on Thursday morning, Scott said that he is ordering state law enforcement to provide escorts to fuel supply trucks heading to gas stations from Florida ports.

State officials are also working with the Environmental Protection Agency and FEMA to waive federal regulations that will also speed the delivery of fuel shipments. (For more hurricane news or local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Miami Patch, and click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Governor Scott: Irma Much Worse Than Hurricane Andrew

"If you know you are going to a a shelter in the county, please take only the fuel you need," Scott urged. "You don’t need to fill your tank to the brim to stay in your own county."

Scott said that there are "no major problems" with Florida highways and he said that state officials are working with Google to provide update mapping information on road closures.

"I’ve directed state law enforcement to provide escort services to gas trucks to get through traffic so they can get to the stations faster," the governor said. "One of the issues is getting from the ports to the stations so they can get the fuel there and then get back to get more."

But the governor acknowledged that the measures may not immediately solve the problem of people who need gas now.

"While we are making progress, you will see lines or outages unfortunately," Scott said. "I know this has to be very frustrating and we will not stop working on this."

Anyone who is in an evacuation area and is unable to evacuate because of gas problems or any other reason can call 800.955.5504.

Motorists wait to gas up at South Florida gas station ahead of Hurricane Irma. Photo by Paul Scicchitano