The premier told us to stockpile water and batteries. It was a green light for panic buying

Bottled water and batteries were being stripped from supermarket shelves in the hours after Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told residents to “get prepared” for Cyclone Alfred.

Coles at Westfield Carindale had nearly sold out of bottled water by Monday morning, while Woolworths in Kenmore also had no water left in stock.

A staff member at Coles in Cannon Hill said that bottled water had sold out by 9am this morning.

Staff at Woolworths in Morningside said that water, toilet paper and some meat products were disappearing fast.

“Get it [meat] while you can,” she advised.

Crisafulli said people should prepare to be without power and water supply, and have batteries for a radio.

As for reports of panic buying, Crisafulli said there was no harm in preparing for the worst and then not needing what was bought.

“The message to the supermarkets is restock the shelves as much as you can, and to Queenslanders it’s heed the warning and buy what you need,” he said.

“It is important that people have sufficient food and water and I understand why Queenslanders want to do that. That’s important and it’s important for the supermarkets to do their bit as well.”

Meanwhile, city workers on the hunt for transistor radios were disappointed on Monday afternoon as retailers had already sold out.

Toilet paper shelves at the Woolworths in Morningside were empty at 4pm on Monday.Credit: Nick Dent

All three city JB Hi-Fi stores were out of stock, as were Officeworks and Big W.

A sales assistant at JB Hi-Fi’s Albert Street store suggested ordering online from Amazon, with the caveat that delivery ahead of the cyclone might be difficult.

The Bunnings store in Newstead was also out of battery-operated radios, although larger and more costly items using charging ports were available.

Bunnings in Cannon Hill had no radios left on Monday afternoon.

Shelves were clearing out at Coles Greenslopes on Monday afternoon.Credit: Jocelyn Garcia

Again on Monday afternoon, the premier urged people to take the warnings seriously and get prepared.

“I know that there is some interest in supermarkets and stock on the shelves,” he said.

“We are working with those supermarkets and urging them to continue to resupply multiple times a day to give everyone the opportunity to get the essentials.

“Do everything you can to prepare for the prospect of loss of power.”

He also urged residents to compile important documents, have tinned food on hand and tie down any loose items outside.

Crisafulli said authorities’ main concern was the potential impact of flooding across a region housing more than 3 million residents.

“When you’re talking about falls of a few hundred millimetres or more in a short period of time in already soaked catchments that will be a challenge,” he told ABC Radio.

“I’ve seen how well the south-east has handled flooding events in recent years.

“This is an added complexity, but it’s nothing that the community can’t get through.”

Brisbane residents also rushed to collect sandbags from council and State Emergency Service depots across the city on Monday.

Generators have been sent to Moreton Bay island communities facing the tough choice of whether to stay or evacuate.

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