If Hurricane Ian limits gas supply in SC, this free app could help you find stations with fuel
If you need to find gasoline after Hurricane Ian strikes, a free smartphone app could help.
GasBuddy, a site that mainly helps users find cheaper gas, has activated the fuel availability tracker in its free app for Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The goal is to help motorists find stations with fuel and power if supplies are limited.
Hurricane Ian strengthened early Wednesday to a Cat 4 storm, according to the National Weather Service. The powerful hurricane is currently expected to hit Florida before moving up into South Carolina on Friday and Saturday, bringing heavy rain, winds and possible flooding.
GasBuddy states that its 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 of stations that have been reported to GasBuddy. Users are encouraged to report the status of any station they see to help others find gas.
The GasBuddy app is available for download in the Apple Store and Google Play store. The fuel availability tracker is also available online here.
How to find gas
When a motorist is near a station that has no gasoline or power, the app will automatically display ‘no gas’ or ‘no power’ icons next to the station on the list screen. The station will be highlighted in red on the map screen.
How to report a station with no gas or 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.
