Highways are clogging up again. Gas stations have gas and not just café/coffee. People sing praise unto the heavens that electricity is finally flowing throughout most neighborhoods.
So, when are the supermarket shelves going to be overabundant with goods instead of post-apocalyptic (or, as they haven’t changed since right before Hurricane Irma made landfall, pre-apocalyptic)?
Meat and fish sections usually overflowing with delectable cuts look on the verge of World War II rationing. Running short on organic vegetables? First World problems. But when staple regular edibles from the ground can’t be found in a store, where the heck are we?
Even the ridiculously profitable Publix On the Bay, 1920 West Ave. in Miami Beach, has some shelf gaps in which you could park a car or, with some toys, your kids.
“Sedano’s management says they feel they will be there (pre-Irma status) by this coming Thursday,” according to an email from Sedano’s spokesperson Anna Del Rio Chong.
Publix and Winn-Dixie were more definitive about effort than time.
“All our manufacturing facilities are now open and operating at full production,” e-mailed Nicole Krauss, Publix’s media and community relations manager for the Miami Division. “In most cases, teams are working around the clock to produce the items that our customers need and are looking for during this recovery period. Our distribution centers are still coordinating deliveries from various warehouses to meet the needs of our stores.
“We appreciate our customer's patience as we continue to restock our shelves as quickly as possible and anticipate that stores will be back at full capacity soon.”
All Publix’s in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe, Palm Beach, Martin, Indian River, Okeechobee and St. Lucie couties are open, save the Searstown store in Key West.
In the Southeastern Grocers’ chain, which includes Winn-Dixie and Fresco y Más, only the Marathon store remains closed.
“Leading up to the storm, our South Florida stores were experiencing extremely high demand for hurricane preparedness essentials,” e-mailed Jim Caldwell, Southeastern Grocers’ corporate communications manager. “Our store teams are making every effort to restock our stores to pre-Irma levels as our customers try to get back to their normal lives. Trucks are arriving at our South Florida stores daily — our customers can be assured that their stores are being currently stocked and that will continue over the next several days.”
We’re waiting.
David J. Neal: 305-376-3559, @DavidJNeal