Grocery stores are packed in the days leading up to Tropical Storm Helene

The sooner you prepare for Tropical Storm Helene, the better.

Wednesday is going to be a busy day as people stock up on essentials.

On Tuesday, thousands flocked to the grocery store.

“What-er” people looking for? …Water! And not everybody found it.

WINK News checked out several grocery stores across Lee County and cases of water seem to be at the top of shopper’s lists.

A demand so high that some locations were cleared out.

“I would have expected there be some left,” said one Costco shopper.

Customers looking for water Tuesday afternoon, instead, found bare shelves and picked-through aisles. A sure sign that storms are on the horizon.

Samuel Nicolas, an Instacart shopper said, “It’s just very insane to look at.”

“Insane” but not surprising to Nicolas, as people flock to grab survival basics at stores across southwest Florida. It’s what the Instacart shopper refers to as “panic buying”.

“Buying as much stuff for supplies, and you know, people who haven’t bought it, such as me of course, do have a lot of trouble buying what’s available,” said Nicolas.

Some shoppers are stocking up as they hope to avoid what they went through during Hurricane Ian.

“There was the worst hurricane we ever had and I was in it. I was sitting every night with a candle,” said one shopper named Eddy. “It was pretty bad for a week with no electricity, no water, no power, no nothing.”

Eddy said this time around he’s not taking any chances, hence the mountain of gasoline cans in his shopping cart.

“Now I have a generator. I didn’t last time,” Eddy said. “Hopefully, I can stick it out a week!”

Costco employees at the Cypress Lake location told WINK they were expecting an emergency shipment Tuesday night to re-stock for Wednesday’s storm prep rush.

But no matter where you shop it’s fair to expect some last-minute shoppers as the storm gets closer.