REMINDED ME OF WHEN SCHOOL USED
TO BE CANCELED OR A TWO HOUR
DELAY AND YOU WOULD LISTEN
UNTIL YOU HEARD YOUR SCHOOL AND
GO BACK TO SLEEP [ LAUGHTER ]
WE WANT TO CHECK IN WITH
CAREY CODD NOW.
CHECKED OUT A CONVENIENCE STORE
IN HOLLYWOOD.
HOW IS IT LOOKING THERE?
COVERING HURRICANES IN
FLORIDA, ONE THING I'VE LEARNED
IS THERE ARE STORIES EVERYWHERE
YOU TURN.
THE STORMS AFFECT EVERYBODY IN
DIFFERENT WAYS.
PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES.
WE WERE DRIVING TO ANOTHER
PLACE AND WE SAW THIS
CONVENIENCE STORE STILL OPEN.
A LOT OF PLACES THAT SELL FOOD
ARE CLOSED AT THIS POINT.
THE OWNER HERE JUST BOUGHT THE
STORE A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.
HE HAS LOTS OF SNACKS.
HE STILL IS WATER AND OTHER
CONTAINERS OF WATER INSIDE HIS
STORE.
WE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT A
HALF HOUR.
WE'VE SEEN ABOUT TWO DOZEN
PEOPLE COMING IN THE STORE.
THEY ALL SEEM VERY GRATEFUL
THAT THEY ARE OPEN.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO THE
OWNER HERE, OMAR.
TELL ME WHY ARE YOU STAYING
OPEN?
I'M DOING IT FOR THE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
EVER SINCE I TOOK OVER,
EVERYBODY IS SHOWING ME A LOT
OF LOVE.
I WANT TO GIVE THAT RIGHT BACK.
THERE COMING AND TELLING ME
THEY APPRECIATE IT.
I AM HERE TO HELP THE COMMUNITY
. THEY ARE HERE TO HELP ME.
IT GOES BACK AND FORTH.
Reporter: AT SOME POINT
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CLOSE?
ARE YOU GOING TO STAY OPEN
TOMORROW?
YES.
I AM OPEN TOMORROW.
AS SOON AS I NEED TO LEAVE,
THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO LEAVE.
I'M GOING TO TRY TO STAY AS
LONG AS I CAN.
THAT'S OF THE CUSTOMERS ASKED
ME.
Reporter: STAY SAY FOR
YOURSELF AND EMPLOYEES.
ONE THING YOU MENTIONED, RUDY,
TURNAROUND.
OMAR TOLD ME THAT ONE OF HIS
CUSTOMERS WAS SO APPRECIATIVE,
HIS NAME IS EUGENE, SO
APPRECIATIVE OF HOW OMAR CHANGE
THE STORE AROUND THAT HE GAVE
OMAR ALL OF THE SANDBAGS
BECAUSE EUGENE KNOWS THAT THIS
AREA IS PONE -- PRONE TO
FLOODING.
HE TOLD ME I CAN BRING YOU
SOME.
I HAVE EXTRA IN MY WAREHOUSE.
Reporter: HOW CONCERNED ARE
YOU KNOWING THAT THIS AREA IS
PRONE TO FLOODING?
CERTAINLY PARTS OF HOLLYWOOD ARE
. HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ABOUT
ANY POTENTIAL STORM SURGE?
WE ARE AT DIXIE AND PIERCE.
HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU?
I AM VERY CONCERNED.
I'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT THE 10
TO 15 FOOT FLOODING.
I HOPE IT DOESN'T GET THAT
SERIOUS.
I HOPE NOBODY GETS HURT.
I HOPE WE GET THROUGH THIS.
Reporter: THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR YOUR TIME.
AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER STORY.
ANOTHER SLICE OF SOUTH FLORIDA
THAT YOU SEE.
EVERYBODY HAS THAT SAME MINDSET
OF TRYING TO COME TOGETHER,
TRYING TO BE THERE FOR ONE
ANOTHER IN ANY WAY THEY CAN.
I WAS UP EARLY THIS MORNING.
I WENT TO PUBLIX IN MY
NEIGHBORHOOD.
I GOT INFORMATION THEY WOULD
HAVE WATER.
I CALLED LAST NIGHT AND THEY
SAID COME BACK THERE WAS
ALREADY ABOUT 20 PEOPLE LINED UP
EVERYTHING WENT SMOOTHLY.
EVERYBODY WAS TALKING AND
COMMISERATING AND SHARING
STORIES AND TALKING ABOUT
EVERYTHING FROM WHAT THE
WEATHER MIGHT BE TWO DIFFERENT
APPS THEY COULD GET ON THEIR
PHONE.
TRYING TO SHARE INFORMATION AND
HELP ONE ANOTHER.
THAT IS A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT WE
ARE SEEING AT THE STORE IN
HOLLYWOOD.
RICK AND I WERE TALKING
ABOUT THOSE LAST-MINUTE TRIPS
TO THE SUPERMARKET.
THAT IS SERVING AS A SUPERMARKET
FOR SOME PEOPLE.
YOU CAN FIND INTERESTING
MERCHANDISE.
HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANYTHING
LIKE THAT?
I CAN TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE
HAVE BUT SOME WATER.
PEOPLE HAVE BUT SNACKS.
I HAVE SEEN A FEW PEOPLE BY
BEER NOT GONNA LIE.
PEOPLE ARE OBVIOUSLY WANTING TO
RELAX A LITTLE BIT AND GET
READY FOR A PRE-HURRICANE
PARTY.
NO.
I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING IS
FOLKS LIKE OMAR WHO HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY, HE LIVES JUST OVER
THE COUNTY LINE.
HE FEELS COMFORTABLE BEING ABLE
TO GET BACK HOME.
HE IS GOING TO DO WHAT HE CAN
TO STAY OPEN AND GIVE PEOPLE AN
OPPORTUNITY IN THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD, IN THIS AREA
WHERE A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND
FOOT, THAT THEY CAN GET HERE
AND GET A FEW THINGS.
THAT AREA WHERE YOU ARE,
THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALL
BUSINESSES IN THAT PARTICULAR
PART OF TOWN.
I IMAGINE IT MIGHT BE VERY
STRESSFUL.
THERE MUST BE OTHER SMALL
BUSINESS OWNERS THAT MUST BE
VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IS
GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEIR
STORES.
Reporter: I DON'T THINK
THERE IS ANY QUESTION ABOUT
THAT.
WE WERE DOWN NEAR YOUNG CIRCLE
JUST A LITTLE WHILE AGO.
THERE WERE STILL A FEW PLACES
OPEN.
THAT IS A BIG NIGHTLIFE AREA.
IT IS A FRIDAY NIGHT.
NORMALLY THAT PLACE WOULD BE
PACKED.
THERE WERE STILL A FEW EMPTY
PARKING SPOTS THERE.
THERE WERE A LOT OF CARS THERE.
WE HEARD LIVE MUSIC.
WE SAW A LOT OF BUSINESSES
BOARDED-UP THROUGHOUT THIS AREA.
WE SAW A LOT OF SANDBAGS OUT IN
FRONT OF BUSINESSES.
WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF PLYWOOD
AND SHUTTERS.
SOME PEOPLE PUTTING PLASTIC BAGS
OVER TOP OF THEIR WINDOWS ON
THE INSIDE OF THE STORE.
DOING ANYTHING THEY CAN IN
ANTICIPATION OF THE STORM AND
ANYTHING THEY CAN GRAB TO TRY
TO PROTECT THEIR BUSINESS.
IT DOES HAVE THAT ALL HANDS ON