With a second hurricane in two weeks set to hit Florida, residents began preparations.
As water and canned goods flew off the shelves Sunday, lines began building at gas stations days before Hurricane Milton makes landfall, forecasted to be Wednesday.
Venice’s Wawa traded its normally popular food bar for gas tank refills.
Ron Verrochio, a Venice resident since 2013, filled up five gas tanks, four of which are for his home generator. Verrochio said his past experience with hurricanes Ian and Idalia have helped him learn what is a priority when prepping for the upcoming storm.
Despite just finishing up repairs to his roof after Ian, he said he remains “optimistic” ahead of the forecasted Category 3 storm.
One complaint he had was self-indulgence, advising the public to remain calm and to remember to conserve resources for others.
“You shouldn’t hoard,” Verrochio said. “Take what you need to get you through.”
Racetrac on Englewood Road had already run out of gas around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, though a fuel tanker arrived shortly after to refill pump stations.