WILTON, Conn. Wilton resident Jim Johnston grabbed a 12-pack of bottled water and tossed it gingerly into a shopping cart early Thursday evening at Stop & Shop on River Road.
The trip for Hurricane Irene supplies was less about preparing for himself and more about making sure his dogs will have enough to drink. Johnston, like many Wilton residents, said he wasn't too worried about the storm's potential impact as Irene made her way up the East Coast. But he wanted to make sure that if things got bad he wouldn't be stuck.
"I've got gas in the power saw if limbs go down and I need to clear the yard," he said. "This is all really just in case."
Wilton resident Mary Bennett-Sandys also showed up at Stop & Shop late Thursday afternoon for the same reason. Her shopping cart was filled with bottles of sparkling and still water and even a six-pack of diet soda. "That's in case there's no hot water for coffee," she said.
Over at the Village Market, Wilton resident Mary Kehoe stood in the checkout line waiting to pay for her water and other supplies, including canned tuna and luncheon meats.
"I'm really just preparing," she said. "I'm not overly concerned. I'm just being prepared."
Throughout the day, plenty of residents had the same idea, said Village Market Assistant General Manager Brian Cowic. He estimated the store had done twice as much business than a usual end-of-the-summer Thursday.
Customers were stocking up on water as well as larger batteries, said Cowic. "We ran out of D and C batteries about three hours ago," he said. "We placed an order with our supplier today and were told we'd only get about 75 percent of what we asked for. We do, however, have plenty of water."
Cowic expects business to pick up as Irene gets closer to Connecticut. He even added extra employees to the shifts for Friday and Saturday.
"Who knows what's going to happen by Sunday," he said. "The power could go out and be out for a week."
It's that sense of the unknown that prompted Bennett-Sandys to the grocery store. "It's that old adage, you prepare for the worst and hope for the best," she said. "If anything really bad happens, I'll just go to somebody's house who is more prepared."
Did you hit the stores on Thursday to stock up for Irene's arrival? Do you plan to go out today or tomorrow? Leave a comment below. Find TheDailyWilton.com on Facebook and like us.
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