Publix is known for its 'hurricane cakes,' but is the tradition being shelved?

My family relocated to Florida six years ago, just weeks before Hurricane Matthew descended upon the state. We were quickly indoctrinated into life during hurricane season in Florida, and remember watching weather reports on television while eating a "hurricane cake": A cookie cake we picked up on a supply run at popular grocery chain Publix, emblazoned with the state of Florida, the eye of the storm and the words, "Go away, Matthew."

The following year, when Hurricane Irma came to our door, we ate our cookie cake in our shuttered home, all four of us gathered in one room where our generator powered a window air conditioner and the television. In 2019, Dorian posed a threat and we arrived for a dinner with friends before evacuating our home, cookie cake in hand. We passed it out to other diners and chatted about everyone's plans for riding out the storm. It felt like we'd become true Floridians.

Now, as hurricane Ian heads our way, my kids asked when the cookie cake would arrive. I stopped at two local Publix stores, only to learn there were no hurricane cakes, and the bakeries had been told by Publix's corporate offices not to make them. I called one final Publix and asked if they'd be carrying on the tradition. The bakery employee told me they would not be putting them out in the store, but said she'd try putting in an order for a custom one that I could pick up the following morning.

"If you don't hear from someone, you should be good to pick it up," she said.

But we did hear from someone: a cake decorator who left me a voicemail saying "because of the disaster," she was unable to put the traditional hurricane design on a cookie cake. My husband was in route to pick it up, so he arrived to find a cake with a beach scene instead, still proclaiming, "Go away, Ian."

Later, I called the Publix location and the employee, who did not wish to be identified, told me that individual stores had received a notice from corporate, saying because of the devastating damage caused by hurricanes, they were no longer able to make cakes involving "natural disasters."

Maria Brous, the director or communications at Publix, tells Yahoo Life that Publix "associates make every effort to support customers during weather events." Still, she confirms hurricane cakes should no longer be sold by any Publix stores.

"For these requests in particular, it is our company policy to not produce bakery cakes that would make light of a natural disaster," she says. "We have sent communications to our stores reminding them of our policy. We regret if a store has not followed policy, and we are working to rectify the situation. Our priority remains taking care of our customers, associates and communities as we prepare [for] and respond to Hurricane Ian."

But is this standard being upheld statewide? The person who runs the Barstool Florida Twitter account reported scouring the city of Gainesville and being unable to find one. "Tragedy: after visiting five Publix locations ... it looks like Publix bakeries are no longer allowed to make hurricane cakes," the tweet declared. "What has America come to?"

Still, some followers commented that they'd found one at Publix stores in Florida cities like Parrish and Lakewood Ranch, both in Manatee County. On a tweet from South Carolina meteorologist Bill Walsh, others reported finding the cakes in Citrus County stores.

The spotty availability has left the internet with questions.

"I've gotten multiple DMs from people saying they went to Publix to get a hurricane cake," wrote Twitter user Neal Surrena. "Problem is, Publix has gotten too many complaints ... saying it's 'insensitive.' Now Publix corporate has banned hurricane cakes."

Surrena's post was flooded with comments from Floridians who miss the colorful confections.

"Sometimes we need decorated emotional support cakes," wrote one Twitter user.

"Never seems to amaze me what people find insensitive enough to bitch about," wrote another.

While Floridians make their final Publix runs to prepare for Hurricane Ian, they may find other Publix staples like "Pub Sub" sandwiches and fried chicken dinners, but it seems the question of whether or not they'll find a hurricane cake is as up in the air as those hurricane spaghetti models.

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