KOKOMO, Ind. – More than two weeks after Hurricane Irma struck Florida, Indiana businesses are still feeling the effects.
Several flower shop owners found their inventories to fall short after the Category 5 storm damaged south Florida ferneries and shut down transportation ports.
"We were watching it really closely because 80 percent of our flowers come from the Miami airport,” said Michelle Herr of Banner Flower House. “A lot of product went bad in semis sitting on the highways that couldn't make it out of Florida. Hopefully our customers aren't aware that we're having to do a lot of work-arounds."
Workers at Banner said their inventory isn’t as thin as other local shops because they stocked up in anticipation of issues.
The flower shortage is reportedly an industry-wide issue that growers, wholesalers and shop managers will struggle to get ahead of for the next several months.
Despite the problems, Herr said customers remain the priority.
"If you're that bride and it affects your wedding day, it's important to you,” she said.
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