Florida

Residents Buying Supplies as South Florida Prepares for Irma

NBC 6 has team coverage as residents rush to get supplies and other items needed as the storm continues to make its push toward the Caribbean.

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South Floridians spent their Labor Day vacations purchasing water, food and other supplies in anticipation of possible impacts from Hurricane Irma.

Shoppers were buying up water at local grocery stores, with nearly empty shelves at Publix stores in North Miami Beach and Pembroke Pines Monday.

More long lines were seen at gas stations and store Tuesday.

"We encourage people to get a kit, have a plan and be informed," Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center Director Curt Summerhoff said.

Workers at a Sedanos on Northwest 87th Avenue near Miami Gardens said a new shipment of goods had come in Monday.

"This isn't usual for Labor Day, I think people are starting to get prepared," store manager Alfred Guerra said. "We're well stocked on water, canned goods. We had shipments come in today. And we have more coming in later this week."

The 11 a.m. advisory for Hurricane Irma on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017.

At Lowe's and Home Depot stores in Oakland Park, residents were buying up storm shutters, but generators were sold out. Workers said most of the generators were sent to Texas to help with the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

Some shoppers said the Harvey destruction had them even more focused on getting prepared.

"We have three people living in our house, so we picked up three packs per person. One in the garage, at least three days worth of water," said Billy Vance, who was getting prepared at Home Depot. "I think that it's so fresh in people's minds, the death and destruction, that down here we don't want to take any chances."

Irma remained far out over the Atlantic Tuesday, but officials said it was time for residents to make sure their hurricane plan was in place. There's an increasing chance of seeing some impacts from Irma in the Florida Peninsula and the Florida Keys later this week, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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