Some supermarkets, chemists reopen in Geraldton after Cyclone Seroja
Some supermarkets and pharmacies were opening in Geraldton on Tuesday following Cyclone Seroja with multiple IGA stores operating and Woolworths Seacrest and Coles at Northgate due to open, with supplies and cash and eftpos facilities available.
While multiple Western Power crews work to restore the high tension power lines running from Perth to Geraldton, most businesses remain closed as they have no electricity.
Pharmacies are making an effort to stay open.
In Marine Terrace, Blooms Chemist is opening from 10am to 4pm and The Chemist Warehouse is keeping normal hours at present on a cash only basis.
Pharmacy 194 in Durlacher Street is also open at the rear of the premises on a cash only basis.
“We’re operating out of the car park with candle light and a few rechargeable lanterns which are working well,” owner Paul Buise said.
“It’s really just looking after people with urgent needs and making sure people have their medication.”
While most food outlets remain closed, Rigters IGA in Durlacher Street is letting in a maximum of 50 people at a time and its ATM is working, but is rationing some staple food items.
The store has no bread today.
IGA Rigters manager Stuart Bain said the group’s Queens, Rigters and Wonthella IGA stores would be open from around 8am or 9am to 5pm or 6pm to allow staff to get home before dark and had food including some perishables, with vegetables and fruit and some meat being trucked up from Perth and stock arriving daily.
He said Queens would be open from around 9.30am Tuesday and other sites would be open slightly earlier and the stores were on generator power and would be staying open all week with supplies being trucked up daily.
He said meat was “very limited” with IGA butchers cutting what they could, while some milk and eggs were available.
“We’ve had road trains up this morning,” he said.
He said milk was becoming more available and eggs were “not too much of an issue”.
He said people should only buy what they needed.
“We’ve got the stock coming,” he said.
“Buy what you need.
“If everyone does a normal shop, a couple of days worth of shopping, there’s enough for everyone.”
Store management are asking shoppers to only buy what they need, especially with power still out in the community and say there will be enough food for everyone as long as people purchase normal amounts.
Mr Bain said staff had opened the Wonthella location “at the drop of a hat” Monday and he wanted to give staff at the stores a shout out as they had sacrificed time off and cleanup at their own homes to come and in to prepare to open.
A staff member at Coles in Northgate centre on Chapman Road said the store would be open shortly but couldn’t give further details.
A spokesman for Woolworths said the Geraldton and Seacrest stores would be opening from midday on Tuesday, with eftpos available.
IGA Sunset and Aldi couldn’t immediately be reached.
With communications limited it wasn’t immediately clear when other stores would be open.
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