South Floridians are nervously stocking up on hurricane supplies on Monday, emptying shelves of drinking water and food, as Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category 4 storm.
If South Florida remains in Irma’s forecast cone, the region could be hit on Friday, according to the Miami Herald. But between Hurricane Andrew’s 25th Anniversary and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation in Texas fresh on everyone’s minds, people in South Florida are not taking chances.
The manager of the Sunset Harbour Publix told shoppers supplies would be restocked on Tuesday. The Milam’s in Coconut Grove had a sign under a shelf that usually contained drinking water that read: “additional hurricane supplies are delivering sometime tomorrow morning.” Many shoppers took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to head to grocery stores, writes Miami Herald.
No water jugs at this Miami grocery store. pic.twitter.com/Tx9v7V5x8R
— Doug Hanks (@doug_hanks) September 4, 2017
Though some stores were ready and well-stocked, with workers refilling shelves as they emptied, other stores were not as prepared. Drinking water was sold out on Monday at the Walmart Supercenter in Morningside, for example, according to Miami Herald.
Miamians stocking up on water at Walmart in case #HurricaneIrma impacts South Florida. pic.twitter.com/d7K8DgjRLF
— Joey Flechas (@joeflech) September 4, 2017
A Lowe’s communications team said the company will send supplies to Florida, but that they are also still shipping supplies and aid to Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
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