Residents Face Difficulty Preparing for Irene

Hauppauge residents scrambling to prepare for Hurricane Irene on Friday afternoon had difficulty finding emergency supplies at local stores.

"I'm very worried. They are talking about the storm being the most dangerous in decades," said Hauppauge resident Arlene Sherman. "I keep watching those strands of spaghetti on the maps. It looks like it's going to be a direct hit for Long Island."

Sherman purchased enough of her favorite yogurt from in Hauppauge Friday afternoon to last through the storm. Her husband was able to purchase a 4-gallon bottle of water and batteries for all of the couple's flashlights that morning at BJ's Wholesale Club.

However, not everyone was so successful on the hunt for storm supplies, especially those who had waited until the afternoon.

"I was trying to get water, but there was no bottled water. [Shoprite] said they should get a delivery overnight. I hope they do," said Evelyn McMahon of Hauppauge.

Throngs of shoppers had stripped nearly an entire Shoprite aisle bare, minus a few smaller packs of individually bottled water - most of it flavored. The grocery store was also out of C and D batteries.

Working residents were finding out on Veterans Highway had sold out of many recommended emergency supplies on Thursday.

"We put down 80 people on a list for generators before we stopped," said Doug, Sear's Customers Service Manager, who declined to give his last name.

The manager said shipment of generators, supposed to arrive at Sears' Port Jefferson location on Friday morning, never made it. Batteries, Flashlights and other items were sold to customers in Port Jefferson before they could be distributed to Hauppauge.

Sears’ employees were surprised when Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy stopped by to purchase the store's last cooler.

staff said they were selling generators quickly than they could get them back in stock. Two truckloads scheduled to arrive Saturday were already pre-sold.

As supplies run low, some locals have chosen to take a laid back approach to getting through with Hurricane Irene.

"I stocked up on wine. You have to make sure you have enough to keep the party going through the weekend," said Smithtown resident Dave Ryan, while visiting Shoprite in Hauppauge.

Doug said Sears will be open both Saturday and Sunday, hopefully receiving additional shipments of supplies. However, he’s not fearful of the storm.

“It’s not going to be that bad of a storm with how much people are preparing. It’s says when people don’t prepare that we really get hit,” he said.

But the Sears’ manger said he’s prepared to sandbag the doors to keep Hurricane Irene out if needed.