Unfortunately the official warnings came too late and there was much confusion. The night of October 18, Rumors were spread about “broken dikes” Residents were told to evacuate within 24 hours to safe areas because the water had come through.
Shops ran out of supplies and, with shelves emptied, were forced to close down. People had to travel to dry places to buy food and water to carry home. Some merchants took this opportunity to double the prices of items such as sandbags, boots, drinking water, fresh food, etc.