CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The demands for basic necessities are growing by the minute. Many stores are having trouble keeping up, whether it’s the aftermath from Helene or the current port workers' strike. Meanwhile, many Charlotte neighbors are heading to the store to grab groceries. Some are surprised with how the shelves look.
Sara Stajos shopped at a Charlotte Harris Teeter location.
"I came to get water and basically there was very little water left on the shelves," she said.
Some supplies including water, paper towels and wipes are growing thin, causing some shoppers to think twice.
Reggie Silver is a supply chain expert and professor at UNC Charlotte. He weighed in on what supplies may hit a disruption but stressed why shoppers shouldn’t start “panic buying” when at the store.
“Different from the pandemic where we saw massive supply chain disruptions, it's not going to be a single massive supply chain disruption. What we're seeing are actually micro disruptions where different segments of different supply chains and impacted areas," Silver said.
“That big picture kind of thinking that's making people come back and go, 'Okay, I better get as much stuff as I need,'” said Christina Armstrong, who recently moved to Charlotte and was making her own rounds.
Local stores are doing what they can to keep the shelves stocked. Food Lion provided a statement to WCNC Charlotte on Thursday:
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Food Lion expresses our deepest sympathies and support to our neighbors affected in the towns and cities we serve. We know our neighbors depend on us to provide fresh, affordable groceries. We thank our customers for their support while we work to ensure our neighbors have what they need to nourish their families as well as support their neighbors in need. While the availability of some items in the store may be impacted, we remain committed to restocking our store shelves as quickly as we can.
In addition, Food Lion has been monitoring and preparing for the port workers’ strike and continues to be in close dialogue with our vendors and suppliers, including local suppliers, to ensure our stores are stocked and ready to serve our neighbors. We will continue to monitor the issue and look forward to it being resolved.
The need weighs heavier for those that experienced Helene first hand. Steve DiGiovanni and his family have been staying in a hotel in Charlotte to escape Helene and it's impact in Ashville. When talking about his first time going shopping since Helene, he said, “everything's definitely different.”
His wife Carrie DiGiovanni praised the neighbors who have stepped up to help.
“That's the the beautiful part about it is our community," she said, "everyone is getting together and helping each other out, and that's obviously the best part."
While the DiGiovanni family and others gather as many supplies as needed, their plan is to fill others in need with hope.
“One day at a time," Steve DiGiovanni said. "That's all we can do and be hopeful and have more strength through the community."
Silver adds supplies like toilet paper are predominantly produced in the U.S. and less likely to hit a shortage. He urges shoppers to avoid rumors from social media and to allow the volunteer supply chain to help those impacted from Helene, where the effects could take years to recover.
“How do we protect people? How do we get them back to a comfortable level of living and so again, I can't emphasize enough the value of the work being done by volunteer groups agencies that are working on the relief efforts. So how do we get those folks to a place where they can recover," he added.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.