Some Gas Stations, Food Stores Will Have Generator Power after Storm

It’s a not-so-distant memory South Floridians would like to forget, but think back to the 2005 Hurricane Season … No electricity for days … weeks … months.  Dodging cars and trucks at almost every intersection --- at one point, only 18 of 3,500 traffic light signals were in working order.  Grocery stores open --- paper products and canned goods only --- as all the refrigerated and frozen food had spoiled.  Gas stations with fuel, but no power to pump it to vehicles. 

Lessons learned. 

In 2007, the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring all gas stations with 16 fueling positions --- eight dispensers accessed from both sides --- to be wired so generators can power the pumps, cash registers,  and critical equipment during outages.  The legislation requires only that gas stations be pre-wired for a generator, but does not mandate that all operations have a generator on site.  Only those gas station owners with 10 or more filling stations in a single county are required to have portable generators, in addition to the pre-wiring mandate.

Some grocery chains also have plans to “power up” after a hurricane.

Keep in mind that a hurricane could damage or devastate, any gas station or grocery store, rendering it inoperable.