PC Locals Invade Costco, Hardware Stores Ahead of Hurricane

Days after feeling the aftershocks of an earthquake, people in Port Chester prepared for the next natural disaster: Hurricane Irene.

A busy Costco parking lot was filled with people stocking up on everything from water to canned goods Friday afternoon. Some were more concerned than others.

While a Danbury woman leaving the shopping center said the anticipation was more than she could remember for any storm, Maureen Gomez of Rye said she wasn't particularly concerned.

“These things are typically blown out of proportion by the press,” she said as she hauled groceries into her SUV. “I’m not a worry wart and I’m not buying anything out of the ordinary. Just stocking up on water.”

Businesses are also tracking the strength and timing of the upcoming storm.

Jackie Fischer, the manager at Copacabana on Main Street, said the local hotspot already cancelled an event on Sunday. Staff at the restaurant, which has outdoor seating facing the waterfront, were still debating whether a party scheduled for Saturday night would go on.

“I’m waiting for the owner to come in to discuss, but as for now it is still on," Fischer said. "Of course, that could all change in a heartbeat.”

Some employees of waterfront stores have already felt the effect. An employee at Port Chester Wine and Liquor said he had trouble finding parking downtown on Friday morning.

“Between Costco and the gas station, it has been a traffic jam here all day. Besides that, this place has not been any busier than usual.”

The opposite is true for stores such as True Value. Carlos Velazquez, a native of Puerto Rico and a 17-year resident of Port Chester, works in the hardware store and said the shelves are looking bare.

“A truck came in this morning with seven pallets of hardware, everything from batteries to flashlights and rope," Velazquez said. "By 10am it was all gone.”

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