Shoppers empty shelves in Fraser Valley grocery stores

Grocery shoppers in the Fraser Valley were met with empty shelves and long lineups Tuesday as the region remains cut off from the rest of the province due to flooding and mudslides that closed major highways.

In Chilliwack, the Superstore on Luckakuck Way got so busy staff had to close the doors, according to Lane Jones who works there.

“It was just really crazy. Our whole store was lined up, around the entire thing,” she told CityNews.

“It was max capacity. There was nowhere to move in the store, and with COVID we have the 600-person rule.”

Current lineup at Chilliwack Superstore https://t.co/n2TMirxLKz

— Brandon (@Father4Change) November 16, 2021

By dinnertime, the store had been cleaned out of a lot of basics.

“It seemed hectic but not disrespectful. Milk, we’re out of. Paper towel, we’re out of. Apples, almost everything in our produce department.”

And with no estimated time of reopening for any of the major highways connecting the Fraser Valley to Vancouver or the rest of the province, supplies aren’t going to be restocked any time soon.

“We’re not gonna get any trucks for the next couple of days. Chilliwack’s like an island right now.”

RELATED: Supply chains cut off by B.C. floods could impact Canadians at grocery stores

The scene was similar at the Save on Foods on Yale Road where supplies of bread and canned goods were also sparse.

Matthew Chesham stopped in on his way home from work in Agassiz to pick up some milk for his wife.

“The lineup just to pay is — I kid you not — it must be a good 200 feet long. I’d argue almost a football field length. Everyone’s just in line wearing their masks, but this lineup is so long. This is brutal. It’s so crazy, this is even worse than the first part of COVID,” he says, referring to the early days of the pandemic when panic buying cleared store shelves across the country.

“There’s no milk. There’s some eggs left. There’s whipped cream if you want whipped cream, but I’m sure my wife doesn’t want whipped cream. Paper towels and toilet paper? Gone.”

He says while it didn’t look like anyone was buying an “excessive” amount of any particular thing, people did seem to be stocking up with essentials.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth addressed concerns about dwindling stock at stores.

“What I can tell you when it comes to supply chains I think patience is the is the word of the day. While yes, there are challenges on our highways … there is lots of supply,” he said.

“There are challenges but there are also options, and so we would encourage people to recognize this and to remember patience. There is lots of supply.”

Rail lines are still connecting parts of the province to the rest of Canada, and Farnworth did not rule out flying in goods if the situation becomes dire.

CityNews has reached out to the parent companies of both grocery stores for comment.