Residents Stock Up to Get Through Irene

Scores of residents spent time looking for supplies they hope will see them through the storm.

At Portland Plaza there were many cars late Saturday afternoon and many customers clearly had the same items in mind.

Bread of all types from of all brands, along with rolls and hamburger  and hot dog buns had disappeared from the front shelves at Tri-Town Foods.

A few packages of muffins were still available near the deli section for those who looked hard. 

Managers were rushing to locate more supplies and ordering clerks to move available items onto shelves. One clerk, Tom Lessor said earlier in the day Saturday, the water never made it to the shelves as customers grabbed gallon containers right off the trucks and off the trays.

Milk of all kinds was also in high demand at Tri-Town, which had some, and the nearby Family Dollar where a large cooler was nearly depleted.

Pet owners were clearly concerned about food and supplies for their dogs and cats and there were bare spots on shelves in the pet section to prove it. 

Another item in high demand everywhere was batteries. Very few spotted at a food store, hardware store and a drug store. There was a sign posted on the door to Family Dollar announcing that C and D size batteries were gone.

Flashlights were mostly gone from stores, too.

Tri-Town was also preparing for the high winds that Irene might be packing. Managers were taping large glass windows at the entrance to the store using a star pattern, with three strips of tape crossing each other at the center of each window.