Harris Teeter Shutters Coastal Stores

SN STAFF

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Harris Teeter here said yesterday it was shuttering three locations on North Carolina's Outer Banks as of midnight Thursday in advance of Hurricane Irene.

Stores in Kill Devil Hills, Corolla and Kitty Hawk were all slated for closure, as the company made preparations at stores throughout the area.

"Harris Teeter's special situations team has been closely monitoring Hurricane Irene's path and is preparing for a full response by pre-positioning tractor trailers with generators and dry ice at key distribution points as well as stocking stores in advance with disaster supplies including water and ice," the chain said on its website.

A spokeswoman for Food Lion, Salisbury, N.C., said that as of Thursday evening the chain had not closed any stores but was "carefully monitoring the situation."

Food Lion was in the process of implementing its disaster preparedness plan, and was seeking to insure that its stores were well-stocked with water, batteries and other items, she said.

Local reports cited heavy customer traffic in area supermarkets as shoppers stocked up on staples, including bottled water and ice.

Further north, A&P and sister chain Pathmark used social media sites to distribute hurricane emergency lists to help customers prepare for the storm. Rival ShopRite did the same, and also posted tips on keeping food safe in the event of power outages.

The storm caused heavy damage in the Bahamas Thursday, according to reports, and was expected to hit North Carolina Saturday morning and possibly move up the coast Sunday and Monday.