MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Water was the hottest item at the Publix Super Market in Miami Shores, as shoppers in South Florida started to prepare for the possibility of a Category 4 hurricane impacting South Florida on Monday.
Antonio Velez said he was getting some extra water just in case. Oria Nunez said water and canned food were running out fast on Thursday night at the supermarket at 9050 Biscayne Blvd. Chef Dewey Losasso also picked up some beer.
"You need to be happy when you are cooking for lots of people," said Losasso, who is planning to cook for people in the neighborhood. "We have to cook for people. Plus our company does Red Cross stuff, so we have to get ready at home because we may get called Monday or Tuesday to help out."
Dozens of shoppers who are expecting the power to go out when Hurricane Dorian impacts Florida waited late Thursday night to buy a propane tank in Miami-Dade County's Kendale Lakes neighborhood.
A full Propane Cowboy truck, with about 400 tanks, arrived to the Sedanos Supermarket at 14655 SW 56th St. The store remained open through early Friday morning to help the customers who had been waiting in line.
On Thursday night, the Home Depot was running low on propane gas and plywood, which is used to protect homes without shutters.There was also a high demand for batteries, charcoal and blue tarps in case the roof gets damaged during the storm.
In North Miami, the Home Depot at 12055 Biscayne Blvd. received more than 30 pallets of water bottles on Thursday morning and sold them all within hours. The heavy duty flash lights were also sold out.
There were also long lines of people with shopping cars waiting to get into the Costco Wholesale at 14800 Sole Mia Way. in North Miami. There were also long lines at the Costco's gas station. There were also lines of cars at BJ's Wholesale gas stations in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
There was a high demand for gas at the BJ's Wholesale at 5100 NW 9th Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. The line spilled out of the gas station and into the road. Luciana Michaud said she waited about 25 minutes to fill up her car's tank.
"It wasn't bad," Michaud said. "It looked worse than it was."
Anjel Ritchie said she had to wait in line for gas at the Marathon gas station at 6390 Miramar Parkway, where there were shoppers from both Miami-Dade and Broward counties. She said she had finished her hurricane prep checklist.
"Everybody is going crazy and I have to work tomorrow and there is not gonna be nothing left," Richie said late Thursday night.
Although there were gas stations that were running out, Gov. Ron DeSantis was asking shoppers not to worry, because his emergency order allowed for there to be more capacity for fuel delivery.
"There is a lot of gas in Florida," DeSantis said Thursday. "It's just that when a station runs out, the trucks have to bring it in from the port."
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