PETERSBURG, Va. -- Concerned Virginians are taking Hurricane Florence seriously and many aren't willing to take any chances.
Throughout Monday morning and afternoon, everything from batteries, gas, to generators where sought out by customers preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Florence.
Batteries for flashlights and generators were being bought at Battery Barn in Petersburg as soon as they opened the doors Monday Morning.
In Prince George County, the Wilkinson Oil BP Station had a steady stream of customers filling up containers with non-ethanol gasoline.
At Thacker Ace Hardware in Petersburg, generators never made it on the sales floor.
"Generators sold before we could take them off the truck. Directly off the truck, into the customers vehicles," said Ace Hardware Manager Donnie Rackley.
At Ace Hardware, sand bags and camping fuel to cook with were also selling out.
Filling up old or new gas containers, putting new batteries in old flashlights or buying new LED lights, the trend for many is to be prepared for the long haul when Florence passes through Central Virginia.
While the track of Hurricane Florence is unclear, the majority of forecast models indicate significant potential impacts to Virginia in the form of coastal storm surge, catastrophic inland flooding, high winds and possible widespread power outages, according to state officials.
“We have seen projections, most recently this evening, upwards of 20 inches (rain) in some areas with generally eight to 10 and 12 to 15 inches across over half the Commonwealth,” said Jeff Stern, State Coordinator with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Depend on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for complete coverage of Florence. Click here to track the storm with the CBS 6 Interactive Hurricane Tracker.
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