Photo: Facebook / Highlands County Sheriff's Office
Hurricane Dorian is on its way to Florida, and may land as a Category 3 or 4 storm. Currently, it’s a Category 5, with winds of over 180 mph, and has caused serious devastation in the Bahamas.
Certain parts of Florida are being evacuated, while others are preparing for the hurricane to hit while indoors. As per the recommendation of authorities, all those who have cars should have a full tank and some canisters extra, just in case, in addition to the mandatory “hurricane kit,” including water, medicine and non-perishable food.
One dude is taking the recommendation a little too seriously, literally packing up his Ford Expedition with buckets of gas. Not approved gas containers, but buckets – Home Depot buckets with snap-on lids, no less.
His recklessness in doing so is so great that even the Highlands County Sheriff's Office took notice of the photo, reposting it on their official Facebook page and turning it into a hurricane PSA on how not to stock up on gasoline.
“If there ever was a picture that should be titled ‘BAD IDEA’ this is it,” the Sheriff's Office says. “Don't be this person. We know everyone is anxious and trying to stock up on gas, but come on! This is dangerous and it's illegal.”
Indeed, using a non-approved container to fill up on gas is illegal. It’s also very dangerous because gasoline is volatile and gives off toxic vapors, which is why you should never transport it in the cabin with you. If it won’t kill you in an explosion, it might kill you as you breathe in those toxic fumes, to put it in simpler terms.
Jim Mattingly takes credit for the photo, saying he didn’t tell the gas station attendant because it wasn’t his business to do so. He also says the man in the photo had about 20 buckets of 5 gallons each and that “they [were] stacked from his driver seat back... he had the back seat folded down.”
For the record, transporting this kind of volume of gasoline is also illegal, as fire safety laws in the U.S. mention that you’re only allowed to travel with a maximum of 6 gallon in a spare gas canister. This being an emergency situation, the dude could probably get a pass – but not for stocking up in plastic buckets, which he stacked inside his car.
One dude is taking the recommendation a little too seriously, literally packing up his Ford Expedition with buckets of gas. Not approved gas containers, but buckets – Home Depot buckets with snap-on lids, no less.
His recklessness in doing so is so great that even the Highlands County Sheriff's Office took notice of the photo, reposting it on their official Facebook page and turning it into a hurricane PSA on how not to stock up on gasoline.
“If there ever was a picture that should be titled ‘BAD IDEA’ this is it,” the Sheriff's Office says. “Don't be this person. We know everyone is anxious and trying to stock up on gas, but come on! This is dangerous and it's illegal.”
Indeed, using a non-approved container to fill up on gas is illegal. It’s also very dangerous because gasoline is volatile and gives off toxic vapors, which is why you should never transport it in the cabin with you. If it won’t kill you in an explosion, it might kill you as you breathe in those toxic fumes, to put it in simpler terms.
Jim Mattingly takes credit for the photo, saying he didn’t tell the gas station attendant because it wasn’t his business to do so. He also says the man in the photo had about 20 buckets of 5 gallons each and that “they [were] stacked from his driver seat back... he had the back seat folded down.”
For the record, transporting this kind of volume of gasoline is also illegal, as fire safety laws in the U.S. mention that you’re only allowed to travel with a maximum of 6 gallon in a spare gas canister. This being an emergency situation, the dude could probably get a pass – but not for stocking up in plastic buckets, which he stacked inside his car.
Evacuating? Gas up now as you may encounter isolated areas and limited access to gas stations for miles #FLPrepares
— FL Division of Emergency Management (@FLSERT) September 2, 2019
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