MIAMI (WSVN) - Many South Floridians are not waiting until Tropical Depression 9 strengthens into a stronger system to make a grocery run.
7News cameras on Friday evening captured customers as they wheeled carts filled with groceries out of the Publix on Southwest Seventh Street in Miami.
While it’s still too early to know how much of an impact the storm will have on South Florida, shoppers who spoke with 7News said they’re not taking any chances.
“As I was getting water, I literally grabbed the last two cases,” said a shopper.
It was a similar story at other grocery stores and large retailers across Broward and Miami-Dade counties that were filled with shoppers stocking up on the essentials.
“A bunch of water, toilet paper, paper towels,” said a shopper.
“Granola for the kids, and nuts and lots of healthy proteins,” said another shopper.
A Costco in West Miami-Dade resembled a shopping center during the holidays. Drivers circling around the parking lot in an attempt to find an empty spot.
“It’s really busy. I haven’t seen it that bad, ever,” said a shopper.
“It’s crazy, yeah. It’s a lot of people,” said Instacart employee Juan Alvarez.
Alvarez said his customers have been ordering plenty of water.
“Ten, five, seven boxes of water,” he said.
Some shoppers said that, while they are preparing, they’re not too concerned.
“It is what it is. If it hits, it hits. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” said a man who was shopping.
However, others said they’ve been through enough bad storms, so they’re following this one closely.
“This year we got our impact windows set up and doors. We also got our generator set up,” said shopper Tucker Verret.
As of late Friday night, most stores that 7News crews visited still had plenty of supplies left, including bottled water and toilet paper, but shoppers are advised to head out at their earliest convenience.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.