Hurricane Irma: Panic buying as Florida and Caribbean prepare for storm to hit
A STATE of emergency has been declared in Florida as residents brace themselves for Hurricane Irma with panic buying seeing supermarket shelves emptied.
Panicked citizens from the Caribbean to the south of America have been bulk purchasing supplies in preparation for the ravages of storm.
The powerful hurricane was upgraded to a Category 4 storm on Monday, and then a Category 5 on Tuesday, with meteorologists stating it posed a “serious threat”.
Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency across all 67 counties and warned people to stock up on their disaster relief kits.
He tweeted: “I have declared a state of emergency for every FL county to help state, federal and local governments work together as we prepare for #Irma.
“Use today to buy hurricane supplies and make sure disaster kits are ready. Be prepared for Hurricane Irma now.”
Photos from a supermarket in Marigot, Saint-Martin, show shelves bare as frantic residents quickly snap up supplies.
People push shopping trolleys filled with water as they prepare to batten down the hatches for Hurricane Irma.
Hurricane watches have been issued for the Leeward Islands, including Antigua, Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts, Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius, Sint Maarten, St Martin and St. Barthelemy.
Irma is expected to dump 10 inches of rain and cause waves of up to 23 feet, along with 140mph winds likely to trigger landslides and flash floods.
Mr Scott said: “Hurricane Irma is a major and life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared.
I have declared a state of emergency
“I have continued to be briefed by the Florida Division of Emergency Management on Hurricane Irma and current forecast models have Florida in Irma’s path - potentially impacting millions of Floridians.
“Today, given these forecasts and the intensity of this storm, I have declared a state of emergency for every county in Florida to make certain that state, federal and local governments are able to work together and make sure resources are dispersed to local communities as we get prepared for this storm.”
The US National Hurricane Center said the storm is expected to hit those islands late on Tuesday, but from there the exact path the storm will take is unknown.
Three possibilities seem likely. The first is that it will either move not the Atlantic and bypass the USA, smash into the Carolinas, or it could barrel towards Florida past Cuba, hitting the Gulf of Mexico.
Floridians may escape the brunt of the Hurricane, which comes soon after devastating scenes from Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
But fear is already sweeping through the state, with reports some shops in West Palm Beach have also been emptied.
Water is in short supply at multiple shops, despite the Path Irma will take still unknown.
One shopper, Bianca Rodriguez of Palm Beach Gardens, said stores were nearly cleared out.
She said: “There was nothing at Walmart. Not even like one thing of water.”
I have declared a state of emergency for every FL county to help state, federal and local governments work together as we prepare for #Irma.
— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) September 4, 2017
Emergency official have advised one gallon of water per person, per day for at leat five days should the hurricane hit.
If it is not a direct hit, Evan Myers, expert senior meteorologist and chief operating officer, said Irma would still be a “major event”.
He said: “This hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast.
“It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of Harvey,'
“As we saw just 10 days ago with Harvey, it is important to be ready to evacuate and be prepared with at a minimum, a list of items you would take if you had 30 minute notice or 1 hours notice of 6 hours or a day to evacuate.”
In preparation American Airlines announced flight cancellations to numerous destinations in the Caribbean.