Dougherty Co. shoppers preparing ahead of Hurricane Ian

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - As people prep for Hurricane Ian’s arrival in Southwest Georgia, store shelves in the Dougherty County area are already taking a hit.

At Publix on Dawson Road in Albany, many customers said they are stocking up on water in preparation for the storm. When WALB News 10 checked the shelves earlier on Tuesday, there was enough water in stock for people to buy.

Todd Whigham, supervisor of Mike’s Country Store in Albany, said they will try to get extra stock of water. Currently, they are fully stocked.

“They hadn’t really got started yet. They will usually wait about a day before they start coming out,” Whigham said.

WALB also went to several big box stores in Albany, such as Target and Sam’s. At Sam’s Club, shoppers have left the water shelves bare.

“Well, I normally buy water from Sam’s anyway. But my first stone was going to be here by the weekend. So I came out to prepare myself, my family for that. And there was a limit. You’re limited as to how many bottles of packs of water you can buy. He has a sign that says limit five per person,” said Mattie Buchannon, a Sam’s Club shopper.

Even with the limit of five per person, Buchannon said she was only able to get two for her family in preparation for the storm.

WALB spoke with some shoppers that did not want to go on camera, but they said storing water inside Ziploc bags and freezing them now will be a huge help. Having ready-to-eat foods, like fruit, canned items and bread, will be good items to have.

Another item you should consider stocking up on are batteries, in case the power goes out, plenty of water and handheld can openers.

Copyright 2022 WALB. All rights reserved.