Wow--will fla even be ready/restocked *IF* Ivan comes?

[Anonymous]

Food and supplies were scarce everytime I went to the store this weekend way up here in Jax so I can only Imagine how S Fla must be... There was a report on the news that the governor has signed an executive order to where he decides who gets gas and how due to the gas shortage.... Will this stuff be able to be restocked before people start having to prepare for Ivan as early as Saturday? Will the roads even be passable in time for the trucks to get in?

[Canelaw99]

That's a very good question....

[canegrl04]

I don't know.But it seems given the condition they are in after Frances,they wouldn't have much time to get reorganized before ivan hit.I would imagine emergency food,water and gas would have to be sent in from other states

[B-Bear]

The answer is very simple: No.

There wasn't even enough supplies for people who were trying to prepare for Frances. The good news is that Frances didn't cause a tremendous amount of wind damage, and so many people were boarded up and prepared that they may already be prepared for Ivan.

[anjou]

At first it looked like Charley, despite its damage - which I don't want to make little of, was helpful in that it warned people to take Frances seriously. And then Frances was less severe than expected. I know the Ivan question is still questionable, but sheess, I hope the first two weren't just trial runs.

Did you know September is "National Preparedness Month", by the way?!

I would imagine that if indeed officials are on the ball, they'll roll in significant restocking over the week... if they can't/don't that's an important safety shortcoming that legislatures and other bodies should be tackling with gusto... this is only, at this point, 2 hurricanes. Even in the face of disasters like this, the emergency management groups SHOULD be able to cope without undue problems.

Also, (sadly and in a good way) highlights of course for residents just how reliant on infrastructure they are and why it's a GOOD idea to

- have adequate or plentiful insurance if at all possible
- act early, heed warnings
- look at structural safety when buying or renting a home
- prepare for things like power outages
- have more than a day or two's worth of water and canned food on hand
- have a good relationship with your tree man

[HurricaneQueen]

Many stores didn't have time to restock hurricane supplies between the last two storms and with the roads from the north closed off and the ports closed, I doubt very seriously that supplies would be here in time, if needed. I was fortunate enough to grab a generator off the truck from Lowe's as it was being delivered several days after Charley but there isn't a gas can to be found anywhere in SW FL. We filled our cars and bought a syphon for the generator but were very lucky to be at the right place at the right time. There is no gas in town at all now. We borrowed some gas cans from a friend who had extra. The same is true of plywood. D cell batteries are almost a luxury.

The grocery stores so far have been fairly well stocked but in one case they lost electricity and could no longer sell dairy, meat or frozen foods even though they were on a generator. It's going to be another long week!

[PTPatrick]

I suspect the gas shortage will result in a much greater economic impact on the state they people realize. No gas, even areas that werent hard hit will have a hard time getting back to normal.

[alicia-w]

I have heard that Governor Bush has announced a special legislative session to address some of these issues. I dont expect to see him out there with a gas can on the freeway, but opening all four lanes north on the interstate wasnt entirely smart. how did folks think supplies were going to get down there, airlift?