While visiting Hillsborough County's Emergency Operations Center on Sept. 8, Gov. Rick Scott hammered away again at the message he's been sending to Floridians for days as Hurricane Irma drew nearer: take this storm seriously.
- Scott urged those told to evacuate to leave
- Acknowledged gas shortages problem
- AG Pam Bondi spoke again about efforts to stop price gouging
“Possessions can be replaced,” said Gov. Scott. “People can not.”
Scott urged those told to evacuate to leave as soon as they could, but acknowledged that gas shortages have been a problem for residents hoping to travel out of harm's way. He said they’re working on getting fuel to gas stations with millions of gallons of fuel coming through Port Tampa Bay.
“While we’re making progress, unfortunately you’re still going to see lines, you’re still going to see outages,” Scott said. “I can tell you none of us are going to stop working on it.”
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who visited the EOC alongside Gov. Scott, reinforced her efforts to stop price gouging for travelers. She asked residents to take pictures and send in problems they see at hotels or at the gas pump.
“Thanks to the EPA they’ve driven down the price of fuel so it should not be at these exorbitant rates,” Bondi said.
Meanwhile in Hillsborough County, emergency shelters have already opened for those with special needs. By Saturday, there could be a strongly recommended evacuation for all Hillsborough residents living in Zone A.
Hillsborough County’s Emergency Management Director Preston Cook said those in mobile homes should also evacuate.
“Be prepared to evacuate to a stronger structure because we’ll have high winds,” Cook said.
Emergency officials said residents who haven’t been told to evacuate should stay put. But Scott urged those anxious to get on the road to do so immediately.
“If you know you’re going to leave, if you’ve already made plans to leave, then leave,” Scott said.