They would be the last people to score the coveted resource Thursday at the Wilmington retailer off North College Road.
As Hurricane Irma loomed in the Atlantic Thursday with a path looking more and more likely to bring impacts to the Cape Fear region, residents wasted no time getting the essentials even though the monster storm wasn’t forecast to impact the East Coast until early next week.
The store is expecting another shipment of water to arrive Friday morning.
University of North Carolina Wilmington students Haley Moccia, Erin Harp and Ashton Parrish arrived at Costco for a weekly restock on food.
But the rush for water and plenty of experience weathering hurricanes in Emerald Isle for Moccia and Harp inspired the trio to snag two cases.
“Apparently everybody was getting water today so we figured we would too,” Moccia said.
Harp added, looking around at the lines, “I didn’t it expect it to be this busy.” Jim Kohler came with a friend to get five cases of water each, along with battery packs and other essentials.
“I am surprised there is no more water,” Kohler said, having been one of the last to get cases.
The scene at Costco, of barren shelves formerly filled with cases of bottled water, was similar to that of other stores across town.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed and we started hearing of some as we head for the weekend, specifically in South Carolina,” Wright said.

Here’s Why Bottled Water Is So Expensive on Amazon Right Now.
Expensive water is on sale at Amazon.com, prompting accusations that the e-commerce giant is gouging prices to capitalize on back-to-back catastrophic hurricanes afflicting Florida and Texas.
Another Amazon seller, "BestSource OfficeSupplies," posted a 35-pack of Crystal Geyser water for $31.50.
That’s compared to less than $10 at Staples for the same Poland Spring water and $5.63 for the same Crystal Geyser from OfficeDirectSupply.com.
Amazon has suspended 12 merchants for high prices, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday night.
One complaint was from a customer who ordered a case of water from Amazon and was charged $100 for delivery.
People don’t normally buy cases of water stored far away in Amazon warehouses because it is expensive to ship a heavy, low-cost item over a long distance.
Ordinarily, Amazon sells most bottled water through services like Prime Now and Amazon Fresh, which store commonly purchased goods close to shoppers to enable quick delivery.
Amazon’s contention that water prices didn’t go up – just that lower-priced items sold out—didn’t sit well with shoppers, who only saw expensive water during a time of need.
Vague laws about gouging make legal action difficult, said Geoffrey Rapp, a law professor at the University of Toledo who has studied such cases.

Bottled water running low at Dothan grocery stores.
DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) — Though Irma does not appear to be an imminent threat in the Wiregrass, that did not stop customers from stocking up on bottled water at Dothan grocery stores.
Bottled water began to disappear from shelves Tuesday afternoon with the uncertainty surrounding Irma’s forecast.
Walmart was running low on bottled water Tuesday, but got another truck in for the Wednesday rush.
Publix’s shelves were also wiped clean, but a new truck was expected by this Wednesday afternoon.
As of Wednesday morning, Target only had small water bottles available, and Winn Dixie had only a few left.
Food Depot’s stock has also been dwindling, but they’re anticipating a truck to arrive Friday afternoon.
Dollar General still had a decent supply, but had some concerns of running out later in the day.
Sam’s Club is also running low on water, and as of lunchtime Wednesday, that had run out of gas.
Local store managers say donations of bottled water for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts had already lowered their stock.

God’s Pit Crew collects thousands of bottles of water for Harvey victims.
ROANOKE, Va. – God’s Pit Crew is continuing its efforts to help people impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
On Monday, the Danville-based organization collected bottled water donations at the Bonsack Kroger in Roanoke.
This is just one of many collections it has held since Harvey made landfall in Texas Aug. 25.
When WSLS 10 checked in Monday afternoon, the nonprofit had already filled two tractor-trailers and had a third on the way.
That means thousands of cases of water are headed to people in need in Texas.
"It’s very heartwarming and you know you’re doing this to bless those that have lost so much in Texas but you get an equal or even greater blessing by just being out here and doing what you can," God’s Pit Crew Vice President of Ministry Operations Nathan Burnett said.
God’s Pit Crew is also accepting monetary donations and other items.
So far, they’ve sent a total of 22 trucks with nearly a million pounds of products to Texas.
Copyright 2017 by WSLS 10 – All rights reserved.

Bottled water, supplies going fast as Tampa Bay area prepares for possibility of Hurricane Irma.
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – For Todd Rix, the clock is ticking.
When the 46-year-old went shopping at Publix in Carollwood on Monday afternoon, he described the bottled water supply as “scarce” and “depleted.” So, he stocked up fast.
His grocery cart was packed with bottled water as he left the store.
While loading up his SUV, he shook his head and said, “Oh boy, here it comes.
At the South Tampa Walmart on Gandy Boulevard, water sold out in less than 12 hours.
With Hurricane Harvey fresh on the minds of Floridians, many who live in the Tampa Bay area do not want to wait to prepare for Hurricane Irma.
Empty shelves have been reported all over the Tampa Bay area, where rows and rows of water bottles used to be.
Laura Roberts has her hurricane prep list, one that includes baby food for her 18-month-old little girl, Paige.

South Florida stores order drinking water, hurricane supplies as jittery locals empty shelves.
South Floridians swarmed local stores Monday, emptying shelves of drinking water and other supplies as Hurricane Irma strengthened to a Category 4 storm.
When he arrived at the Morningside Publix he decided to stock up.
More Videos 1:14 Hurricane Irma strengthens to category 4 as storm nears Leeward Islands Pause 0:36 Watch as Hurricane Irma spins through the Atlantic 0:38 Hurricane Irma’s menacing eye strengthens 0:33 Hurricane warnings and watches in Caribbean as Irma approaches 5:08 Adam Gase news conference after Dolphins-Vikings 0:46 Drivers pass growing wildfire near Los Angeles freeway 0:40 Hurricane Irma remains strong Category 3 as track shifts south 0:33 Hurricane Irma moving west 0:33 Hurricane Irma strengthens to Category 3, churns closer 1:18 Cigarette thief swipes 36 cartons valued at $1,000 Video Link Embed Code Facebook Twitter Email Hurricane Irma strengthens to category 4 as storm nears Leeward Islands NOAA released new satellite imagery that shows a strengthening Hurricane Irma approaching the Leeward Islands.
Drinking water was sold out Monday at the Walmart Supercenter at 3200 NW 79th Street; Walmart’s public relations spokesman said the company had decided not to comment on storm supplies, saying “they are focused primarily on ensuring smooth operations and want to avoid a rush on stores.” At Sunset Harbor in Miami Beach, water was sold out Monday afternoon; a manager told shoppers it would be restocked Tuesday.
This scientist can show you Hurricane Irma now a Category 4, Governor Scott declares a state of emergency Everything you need to survive a storm The latest on how Hurricane Irma might affect Dolphins’ season opener As Hurricane Irma grows stronger, South Florida gears up for the storm Miamians stocking up on water at Walmart in case #HurricaneIrma impacts South Florida.
pic.twitter.com/d7K8DgjRLF — Joey Flechas (@joeflech) September 4, 2017 At home improvement stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot, store spokespeople said that the businesses are monitoring the storm and have plans to meet demand.
More Videos 1:14 Hurricane Irma strengthens to category 4 as storm nears Leeward Islands Pause 0:36 Watch as Hurricane Irma spins through the Atlantic 0:38 Hurricane Irma’s menacing eye strengthens 0:33 Hurricane warnings and watches in Caribbean as Irma approaches 5:08 Adam Gase news conference after Dolphins-Vikings 0:46 Drivers pass growing wildfire near Los Angeles freeway 0:40 Hurricane Irma remains strong Category 3 as track shifts south 0:33 Hurricane Irma moving west 0:33 Hurricane Irma strengthens to Category 3, churns closer 1:18 Cigarette thief swipes 36 cartons valued at $1,000 Video Link Embed Code Facebook Twitter Email Hurricane Irma’s menacing eye strengthens Video from NASA of Hurricane Irma’s eye on Sept. 4, 2017.
“Today we have shipped more than 325 truckloads of product to Florida in preparation for the storm.
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Does drinking a bottled water left in a car cause health problems?
Crow made headlines when she went on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and claimed that her breast cancer was caused by drinking water from a plastic bottle she’d left in her car.
However, doctors say that’s not the case.
“I don’t know how she would get it in a large enough amount to cause breast cancer,” said Dr. Kidd from AFC PriMed Urgent/Family Care in EastChase.
The toxins can be harmful if the Bisphenol A. used to make certain plastics leaks.
“If that BPA leaked into your water, which may have a higher likelihood if it’s in a hot car, then it could cause problems,” said Kidd.
She said that the threat of any health problems from drinking a bottled water you found in your car is minimal.
However, the Food and Drug Administration said that BPA is safe at low levels, like in plastic water bottles.
Copyright 2017 WSFA 12 News.
All rights reserved.

Residents return around Arkema plant, told to drink bottled water.
CROSBY, Texas (KTRK) — People who live in a 1.5-mile evacuation zone around a Crosby chemical plant are being allowed to return to their homes after the facility was under the threat of an explosion due to flooding from Harvey.
Arkema Inc. Crosby update 1.5 Mile Evacuation Zone Lifted for Area Surrounding Arkema Crosby Facility – more info at https://t.co/HwcMKmug1l — Arkema Inc. (@Arkema_Inc) September 4, 2017 "The Crosby Fire Department and unified command has determined it is safe for residents to return to their homes.
The 1.5-mile evacuation zone around the Arkema Inc. facility has been lifted and is no longer in effect," the company said in a news release.
"In a proactive approach, to minimize the impacts to the community by the Arkema Inc. incident, a decision was made by Arkema Inc. in coordination with unified command to take proactive measures to initiate ignition of the remaining trailers through controlled means," Arkema said in a press release Sunday.
The EPA says it is continuing to monitor the smoke and air quality near the facility.
Crosby’s Arkema plant, inundated with water, wasn’t the only site to flood.
The EPA did not respond to questions about why its personnel had not yet been able to do so.
When pressed about whether backup generators had been elevated as to not be inundated with water, plant officials said they didn’t know.
A safety official with the plant this time around acknowledged they hadn’t done enough to prevent the problems.

Shreveport native and Music Mountain provide aid to Harvey flood victims.
A Shreveport native has teamed up with a local water company to help flood victims in southeast Texas.
"Yesterday we were met by people in just desperate need of drinking water and clean water," Sweeney said.
Sweeney said he and fellow church members had already taken several trips to areas hardest hit by flooding in southeast Texas when they heard of this water shortage.
He, along with others, took action.
The response from General Manager Dave Laun at Music Mountain Water Company in Shreveport was the best news Sweeney heard in a while.
We’ll help those in need for sure," Laun said.
Then Sweeney quickly delivered that water down south.
It turns out, this is not the first donation made by Music Mountain.
Music Mountain Water will also begin accepting donations at their water store, at the corner of Gilbert Drive and Stoner Avenue in Shreveport from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.

Bottled water donated during Reno wildfires headed to Texas.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Department has decided to pay forward the generosity of Reno County residents in helping with Texas hurricane relief.
“Earlier this summer Reno County of Kansas was hit by wildfires, and the community responded by making many helpful donations,” the department advised in a Facebook post.
“After the fires were quenched and the area was restored the community found itself with a surplus of leftover water.
With the recent devastation in the Houston area it became clear that this would be the best place for the Reno County community to donate the surplus water.” Officials estimated the value of the donated bottled water at nearly $,1500.
Mid America Point of Sale, a Hutchinson-based McDonald’s Point of Sale distributor and servicer, has worked in conjunction with the Sheriff Department, Senator Jerry Moran’s office and the Student Veterans Organization of Wichita State University to deliver the water to a drop off point in Wichita, to be deliver to Texas for Hurricane Harvey victims and volunteers.