GREENWICH, Conn. Shelves and hooks were bare and the waiting list for generators was long in the scramble to prepare for Hurricane Irene at Greenwich Hardware on West Putnam Avenue.
Greenwich residents were buying flashlights, generators, sandbags, lanterns, portable radios, tarps, chainsaws and other emergency equipment in the days before the storm, said David Henderson of Greenwich Hardware.
All we have left are double-A batteries. We went to Costco, Home Depot all of their batteries are sold out, said Henderson. People are actually fighting. Yesterday, I saw a woman snatch batteries out of another womans hand right here.
The store was trying to get manufacturers to deliver items such as batteries and generators to the store directly, Henderson said, but it was difficult even for the companies to get the in-demand products.
Its a financial thing, I mean, how many hurricanes have come up then gone away? said Henderson. But four days ago when we knew it was coming toward us, [manufacturers] should have supported the Northeast better.
The workers at Greenwich Hardware said they werent doing much to prepare themselves for the storm and are focused on keeping stress levels as low as possible.
How did you prepare for the storm? Comment below or email ahelhoski@thedailygreenwich.com.
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