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A Tallahassee fuel distributor boosts its capabilities to ensure more local resilience during emergency situations

Towering fuel storage tanks and a generator-powered pumping station comprise the heart of Rainey Cawthon's expanded and improved facility on Shelfer Road south of Tallahassee.
Tom Flanigan
Towering fuel storage tanks and a generator-powered pumping station comprise the heart of Rainey Cawthon's expanded and improved facility on Shelfer Road south of Tallahassee.

Hurricanes often mean fuel shortages. But now a Tallahassee fuel distributor has expanded its capacity to keep more fuel flowing during storms and other emergencies.

The company is Rainey Cawthon Distributors, which has been around since 1948. Its new location near Tallahassee's Four Points has 90,000 gallons of storage, double the capacity of the old Gaines Street site. And company Vice President Ivey Rooney Yarger said it can keep the fuel flowing even during power outages.

"The entire facility is generator powered. The generator is hooked into our storage. So no matter what comes, our customers can get in here 24-hours a day and get fuel, we can get in here 24-hours a day and get fuel and we'll be able to fuel anybody in the region."

She says that especially includes emergency service providers that depend on generators, such as first responders and medical facilities.

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Tom Flanigan has been with WFSU News since 2006, focusing on covering local personalities, issues, and organizations. He began his broadcast career more than 30 years before that and covered news for several radio stations in Florida, Texas, and his home state of Maryland.

Find complete bio, contact info, and more stories. here.