Fort Myers woman uses online delivery to skip long Hurricane Dorian lines

You’ve seen them at the last big storm: long lines as people wait to get supplies and products flying off the shelves. But thanks to modern technology, many of you are opting to skip the lines and order your supplies online.

Tammy Leaman was pregnant when a tragic incident happened to her 17 years ago. Leaman was on the way to church when another driver t-boned her car. The crash left her with spinal damages. Now, ahead of Hurricane Dorian, she needs to plan fast as her daughter also has health problems.

“She has a chronic illness,” Leaman said, “so thinking ahead for seven to 10 days when the storm is going to arrive.”

Leaman does not take any chances. Instead of facing the prospect of empty shelves, she already has her storm supplies sent by delivery to her front door.

WINK News caught up with shoppers who said supplies are flying off the shelves.

“By the time I left and that was about an hour and a half,” Donna Bobier said, “they were out of water.”

Leaman disagrees with that approach. Why take the chance of going to a store and finding out the product you need is gone, she said. Instead, she preorders what she and her daughter need online with Target, Amazon Prime and Instacart.

After Hurricane Irma, she recommends that everyone do their shopping online. If you are ordering online, choosing wisely is essential. Some products could take days to arrive. Delivery can lengthen the shipping time because of the inclement weather.

Taking account of situational factors is part of the calculus Leaman does before she orders products online. At the end of the day, her daughter’s medical care is her number one priority. She needs to drink 3 liters of water per day and storm recommendations say to have at least seven days worth of supplies.

There is an upfront cost for some of these services. The membership fee for Target is $99 a year or $14 a month; Amazon Prime is $119 per year or $12.99 per month; Instacart is $99 a year or $9 each month.

It is a small price to pay to be prepared for an incoming storm.

“If you have to pay a small fee or yearly fee for subscriptions,” Leaman said, “it’s really worth it.”