Hurricane Wilma Evacuees Clean Out Rental Fleets
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. --- After many South Floridians fled the area to avoid the landfall of Hurricane Wilma on Oct. 24, the lower half of the state has seen a dearth of available rental cars.
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. --- After many South Floridians fled the area to avoid the landfall of Hurricane Wilma on Oct. 24, the lower half of the state has seen a dearth of available rental cars, the Palm Beach Post reported.
In Palm Beach County, many rental companies have had to turn customers away, even two weeks after the storm.
Company booking agents for Hertz, Enterprise and National told the newspaper that they had been sold out in the county for the first weekend in November.
Enterprise had waiting lists at 36 of its county locations and had to halt reservations at the Palm Beach International Airport. The rental agency is planning to move 20,000 vehicles to the area during the next couple of months to restore its fleet, according to the report.
Auto insurance agencies received more claims after Hurricane Wilma than were filed for any of last year’s hurricanes. That, coupled with a massive tourism industry, took its toll on the regions rental fleets, the newspaper reported.
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