With Hurricane Irma churning west, many South Florida residents are taking precaution and stocking up on supplies on Labor Day.
A Home Depot in Royal Palm Beach on Monday morning posted a sign that said they were short of some hurricane supplies, including wing nuts, 5-gallon containers for gasoline and 5-gallon jugs of water.
"All the stuff with Harvey, the extent of the problem they've had there, plus we've had our storms here not that long ago ... so people are being more vigilant I guess," said David Graham, who was out shopping for supplies.
Residents were busy buying plywood Monday at the Home Depot. The manager of the store said they would be receiving a new shipment of the items currently out of stock, but didn't have a timeline for the arrival.
Shelves of water at several stores were nearly empty Sunday, as the uncertainty of Hurricane Irma's pathprompts people to prepare just in case.
“There was nothing at Walmart," said Bianca Rodriguez of Palm Beach Gardens. "Not even like one thing of water.”
Emergency officials recommend people have one gallon of water per person, per day for at least five days in the event of a hurricane.
Rodriguez found cases of bottled water at a Winn-Dixie on Military Trail in Palm Beach Gardens Sunday night.
"I lucked out. There’s only a couple left, but at least there was enough for me," said Rodriguez.
Public officials took to Twitter Sunday to tell people to get prepared.
Boynton Beach Police Chief Jeffrey S. Katz wrote: "We're keeping a watchful eye on #irma & we'll be ready if needed. No need to panic - just be prepared. Worst case: @BBPD has you covered!"
Gov. Rick Scott posted several tweets Sunday: "Disaster preparedness should be a priority for every Florida family. Visit http://www.floridadisaster.org/getaplan/ to get a plan today."
"As we continue to monitor Hurricane Irma, families should make sure their Disaster Supply Kits are ready today. http://floridadisaster.org/supplykit.htm"
"FL knows how important it is to be prepared. Encourage your loved ones to have a plan ahead of any potential storm. http://www.floridadisaster.org/GetAPlan/"
As we continue to monitor Hurricane Irma, families should make sure their Disaster Supply Kits are ready today. https://t.co/ymXjrTHewW
— Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) September 3, 2017
Palm Beach County School District tweeted: "We are watching Irma. This is a great weekend to check your hurricane supplies."
