NEW YORK (AP) — A research firm says as Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida, shoppers in the Miami area increased their spending on gas, food and plywood to board up their homes at a higher rate than Houston residents did before Harvey.
First Data Corp., which tracks online and in-store payments on debit and credit cards, says people may have learned a lesson.
Rishi Chhabra, a First Data vice president, said that around Miami, gas spending spiked almost 80 percent this past Monday and Tuesday compared to the same days a year ago.
Irma is expected to reach Florida over the weekend. Harvey initially came ashore in South Texas on Aug. 25. In the week before Harvey hit the Houston area, Chhabra said, spending on gas rose 13.4 percent from the year-ago period.
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