In the wake of Hurricane Irma, Central Florida grocery stores are slow to restock their shelves.

Many grocery stores are running with limited selections as they try to feed and supply Central Florida after Hurricane Irma, straining Florida’s retail and energy infrastructure.

Few local stores or gas stations were damaged physically, but many were closed for two or three days, and when they did open they were met with an overwhelming number of customers.

And those customers themselves were running low on groceries, fuel and rebuilding supplies. Most supermarkets reopened Tuesday, many with only non-perishable foods because frozen food and produce had thawed during the storm. By Wednesday conditions had improved, but stores are now forced to restock after a rush of customers leading up to the storm and three to four days without deliveries.

“Unfortunately we did lose a lot of frozen items because once it thaws out, we don’t feel it’s safe to refreeze and sell to the public or even give away,” said Joe Caldwell, a spokesman for Southeastern Grocers, the parent company for Winn-Dixie and Harvey’s grocery stores.

Since the storm has impacted most of the state, the recovery effort has been challenging, he said.

A Winn-Dixie supermarket in Fern Park opened with only generator power Wednesday, meaning there was no electricity to run freezer and produce cases.

At that store and some other supermarkets and home-improvement stores, lights were dimmed because power is still out to many neighborhoods.

Caldwell said there is no disruption in the supply chain, even for perishable foods such as milk, bread and produce. But those items are in high demand after customer fridges and freezers failed without electricity. Trucks are delivering at full capacity too, he said, and stores should be fully restocked in a few days.

“We are fast and furiously getting trucks out,” Caldwell said.

Publix stores in Central Florida have reopened and are mostly stocked, although availability is still limited on those high-demand items such as milk and bread.

“Our manufacturing and warehousing associates are producing and shipping product to our stores as quickly as possible,” said a statement on Publix’s Facebook page from CEO Todd Jones. “And, we are working closely with our suppliers as some of them are getting back on their feet as well.”

While grocery stores had food, the lack of staple grocery items frustrated some customers.

“There’s no milk and no bread,” said Morgan Davis, shopping with her infant daughter at the Safeway store in Altamonte Springs. “My power is back on, but my fridge is empty because we either ate it all or it went bad while we didn’t have electricity.”

Home-improvement stores also struggled to keep up with demand as power outages dragged into the fourth day. A Lowe’s store in Oviedo ran on generator power without air conditioning.

Battery-powered fans and portable air conditioners are going fast too, said Neil Asma, vice president of the Toole’s Ace Hardware chain based in Orlando.

“People are looking for everything,” Asma said. “Those that have power want to clean up the damage and those without power want to stay cool.”

At a Home Depot store in Orlando on East Colonial Drive, employees unwrapped gas cans which were snagged quickly by customers. Many customers were looking for generators as a third of the state’s electricity customers still lacked power Wednesday afternoon.

Lowe’s dispatched 500 trucks to go out Wednesday and Thursday from distribution centers in the southeastern United States, said Sarah Lively, a spokeswoman for Lowe’s.

“We’re getting supplies and equipment to stores as fast as we can,” she said. karnold@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664