GasBuddy fuel availability tracker activated ahead of Helene



(September 25, 2024) DALLAS, Texas — GasBuddy today announced that effective immediately, the fuel availability tracker is active for motorists in Florida, Georgia and Alabama as Helene’s projected path progresses toward the Florida panhandle. Activated out of an abundance of caution in the scenario that the storm causes disruptions to fuel supply, the tracker helps motorists in affected areas find fuel should stations temporarily run low or out.

When the tracker features are activated for an area, GasBuddy’s free app can differentiate stations that have no gasoline, no diesel or no power so that motorists can try other stations. The crowdsourced tracker can be updated by motorists and displays the status for locations that have been reported to GasBuddy. Motorists are encouraged to report the status of any station they see to help others find gasoline or avoid stations with no fuel or power.

“While we are not expecting Helene to bring major challenges to gasoline supplies, depending on how many evacuate and top off their fuel tanks, gas stations may have temporary challenges with refueling underground tanks as quickly as motorists are filling up, which could lead to short term fuel challenges,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.

“The risk is low of this turning into a major fuel situation, thankfully, because refineries in Texas and Louisiana continue to remain open and producing fuel. The challenge may be in shipping -- tankers and barges that connect Florida to refineries may need to stop while the storm passes. Out of an abundance of caution, we want to make sure help is available should motorists need to find fuel.”

If you need fuel: When a motorist is near a station that has no gas, diesel or power, the GasBuddy app will automatically display NO GAS or NO DIESEL or NO POWER icons next to the station on the list screen, and the station will be highlighted in orange on the map screen.

To report a station with no gas, no diesel or now power:

Quick Report Button (only enabled if stations in your vicinity are reported without fuel already)

    •    A quick reporting button —which only appears if you are very close to a station —will prompt you for information. Click on this button to report the gas, diesel and power situation at that station.

Edit Station Detail Page

    •    At the bottom of the Station Detail page, you can “Suggest Station Edits” and report whether it has gas, diesel or power.

The GasBuddy app is available for download in the iOS and Google Play stores, and the fuel availability tracker is also available online at tracker.gasbuddy.com.