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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Liam Buckler

Hurricane Ian chaos with panic buying and shelves stripped bare ahead of storm

Panic buying has led to shelves being stripped bare of water, toilet paper and canned goods as locals prepare for monster Hurricane Ian.

Shoppers in Florida have been queuing up to stock up on supermarket essentials after being told to brace themselves for their first major hurricane in four years.

At the weekend, there were dozens of photos showing locals at supermarket Costco filling up their trolleys with cases of bottled water.

Photos showed industrial sized pallets being filled to the brim of daily essentials including toilet paper.

Shoppers, meanwhile, were also stockpiling construction materials with planks of plywood - in order to help protect and border up their windows for the incoming storm.

Bottles of water were being stocked up on as the state was declared in a state of national emergency (Stephen Shaver/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

On Saturday afternoon, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency across its entire 67 counties as locals rushed to brace themselves for the impending hurricane.

On Sunday, Tropical Storm Ian was around 540 miles off Cuba's western tip after the storm developed into a hurricane and is expected to hit Florida midweek - possibly late Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Hurricane Ian is seen nearing the coast of Cuba (via REUTERS)

The Category 3 storm is expected to bring devastation to the sunny state with winds of up to 130mph set to see many homes battered by the hurricane.

The Weather Channel have predicted the cities of Tampa, Orlando and Panama City are all set to be hit by Tropical Storm Ian - with parts of Alabama and Georgia potentially affected too.

It comes after National Hurricane Center officials warned residents to make preparations for the hurricane as the storm's forecasted path is leading to a higher-than-normal degree of 'uncertainty'.

Shelves were stripped of toilet paper, tinned goods and bottled water (Stephen Shaver/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)

With the emergency declared in Florida, President Biden has sent for assistance with the federal disaster relief aid being declared for the state.

President Biden has since cancelled his visit to the state after he was scheduled to help campaign with Democrat midterm candidates.

He was set to make an appearance in Orlando on September 27 for the Democratic National Committee rally.

However, the White House were forced to postpone the trip as Tropical Storm Ian was forecasted to devastate homes and businesses across the area.

The President was last due to visit Florida in July but had to cancel his trip after he tested positive for Covid.

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