WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — As recovery after Hurricane Milton continues in the Tampa Bay area, many people say they are struggling to find gas.

What You Need To Know

  • Gasoline has been hard to find for Tampa Bay area residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton

  • Many gas stations are closed, with bags covering pumps and saran wrap around filling stations
  • A Wawa gas station off of State Road 54 had a delivery of fuel from Jacksonville made Thursday night and Friday morning, supplying them with 18,000 gallons of fuel

Fuel is difficult to find not just for cars, but for home generators as well. But many gas stations have saran wrap around fuel stations and bags covering pumps.

At a Wawa gas station off of State Road 54, a line of vehicles could be seen twisting and turning its way around the building, as drivers waited for their turn to get gasoline.

“I stayed in line for an hour and a half, and that’s where I’m at right now," said Tim Bicos.

Bicos said he traveled far and wide to fill up his fuel cans.

“I drove around for 30 miles and went all the way to Dade City — if you know the Flying J truck stop — and everything is closed," he said. "No gas around.”

Those at the station said once word got out that the Wawa had fuel, cars began lining up Friday at 6 a.m.

“My friend came here first and just called me to let me know, because I was looking all around town," said Tiana Brown. "I even went down to Bruce B. Downs and still didn’t find anything.”

But just finding fuel has become a headache, as most stations are still either closed or without gas. It's adding stress to drivers who are low on fuel.

“It is stressful because I’m going to have to go to trucking school and I have to make sure I have enough gas to get there," said Brown. "It’s all the way in Tampa.”

And for those without power, like Bicos, he said he'll take what he can get — with two fuel cans allowing him to power his generator for another 20 hours.

“Hopefully they’re going to figure it out in the next day or two, because otherwise, I’ll have to drive I don’t know where to get gas," he said. "Obviously, I can drive because I have a diesel car, so I can go. But it’s going to be stressful if I have to drive all the way to Ocala or Gainesville to get gas for my generator.”

Spectrum News spoke with the general manager of the Wawa and he said they had a delivery of fuel from Jacksonville Thursday night and Friday morning. He said 18,000 gallons of fuel was delivered, but stations are waiting for Tampa Bay’s ports to come back online.