TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — In Southeast Tallahassee, one fuel supplier is doubling down on emergency preparedness to keep the Capital City moving when storms shut everything else down.
- Rainey Cawthon Distributors in Tallahassee has upgraded its facility to enhance fuel supply during emergencies.
- The facility now features a self-service fuel station and a backup power system for uninterrupted operations.
- Watch the video below to find out the company's new fuel capacity.
Local fuel distributor boosts capacity to enhance emergency response ahead of hurricane season
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
When a storm hits, fuel can be as critical as food and water.
“Keep a half tank of gas in your car cause I have to get you out of you know an evacuation zone,” Ivey Yarger, Vice President of Rainey Cawthon Distributors, said.
I'm Lentheus Chaney, your neighborhood reporter in southeast Tallahassee taking a look at how one local company is helping the Capital City stay ready when supplies get low.
Rainey Cawthon Distributors is a Tallahassee-based fuel supplier. Its crews have completed a major upgrade on Shelfer Road. It's a new facility with a 90,000-gallon storage tank. That doubles their capacity for emergency response.
It’s a move designed to deliver fuel where it’s needed most—first responders, hospitals, and local businesses—even when storm damage disrupts the supply chain.
The expansion includes a self-service fuel station for bulk customers. It also has a backup power system to keep operations moving no matter the conditions.
“So at our old facility, we had a capacity of 45,000 gallons. We added another 45,000 gallons so that enables us to keep our supply, especially in times of natural disaster, as high as we can and that enables us to work even more customers and to help even more folks in our community," Yarger said.
Yarger joined the family-run business as vice president in 2022. Originally a home heating oil distributor in 1948, Rainey Cawthon has since grown to include convenience stores and bulk supply; infrastructure that’s now essential during and after storms.
Neighbor Travis Pope works for a company that relies on a steady fuel supply to serve its customers. He says the long lines and fuel shortages after a storm are frustrating, both professionally and personally.
“It’s very frustrating whenever you come to a gas station, actually multiple gas stations, and the line will be backed up a mile down the road,” Pope said.
According to GasBuddy.com, 17% of gas stations across Florida ran out of fuel during Hurricane Milton. About 2% of those outages were in Tallahassee.
Yarger says their goal is to make sure places neighbors count on—from grocery stores to care facilities—stay up and running after a storm.
In southeast Tallahassee, I’m Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
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