FORT MEYERS, Fla. — Several truck stops have closed due to Hurricane Ian.
Love’s teams are monitoring the latest developments as Hurricane Ian nears landfall on the coast of Florida.
“We are taking precautions and increasing fuel and food deliveries today to stay stocked,” a news release said. “Our stores are prepared to safely serve customers as long as possible. We will provide regular updates on loves.com/weather and Love’s Connect app.”
Love’s stores closed due to the hurricane are:
- Exit 143, Interstate 75, 17308 Park 78 Drive, North Fort Myers, Florida.
- Exit SR 78, 23073 N. U.S. Highway 27, Moore Haven, Florida.
Pilot Flying J officials also have closed stores.
“We are closely tracking Hurricane Ian and any resulting impacts to our store operations,” a news release stated. “Safety is our number one priority. Some stores may experience temporary closures due to local conditions and we will work to restore service as quickly as possible. Please check below for current store status and fuel availability.”
Pilot Flying J stores close due to the hurricane are:
- Pilot No. 352, Fort Myers, Florida.
- Pilot No. 94, Punta Gorda, Florida.
- One9 No. 89, Ellenton, Florida.
Ian’s most damaging winds began hitting Florida’s southwest coast Wednesday, lashing the state with heavy rain and pushing a devastating storm surge after strengthening to the threshold of the most dangerous Category 5 status.
Fueled by warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Ian grew to a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane overnight with top winds of 155 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm trudged on a track to make landfall north of the heavily populated Fort Myers area, which forecasters said could be inundated by a storm surge of up to 18 feet.
“This is going to be a nasty nasty day, two days,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said early Wednesday, stressing that people in Ian’s path along the coast should rush to the safest possible shelter and stay there.
Ian’s center was about 50 miles west of Naples at 10 a.m. Wednesday, as it churned toward toward the coast at 9 mph. Ian’s plodding pace meant the storm was expected to spend a day or more crawling across the Florida peninsula, dumping flooding rains of 12 to 18 inches across a broad area including Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville in the state’s northeast corner.
Catastrophic storm surges could push 12 to (3.6 meters) of water or more across more than 250 miles of coastline, from Bonita Beach to Englewood, the hurricane center warned.
“It’s going to get a lot worse very quickly. So please hunker down,” DeSantis said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
