Hurricane Irene: Local Residents Secure Property, Stock Up

In preparation for , projeected to begin to pummel our area by Saturday evening, local residents are scrambling to nearby stores  to stock up on essentials and securing their homes and yards before battening down the hatches.

and in Blue point were abuzz with residentsd preparing for the storm.

Sean Farley, 40, from Blue Point, was out procuring all the necessary supplies for a long power outage,, such as gas tanks, and glass for his "hurricane lantern." Luckily, he already had flashlights and D batteries, which are sold out in nearly every area store.

"I'm a power line man, very afraid I'm not going to see my family for the next month. I'll probably be working around the clock," Farley said.

He made sure to put all his outdoor furniture in the garage, and tied other items to the fence in advance.  "I'm going to work [Friday] and probably won't be home for a month."

Lisa Voos, 50, from Bayport was at the hardware store picking up propane and flashlights with her husband, who works for National Grid, and will be at work on Sunday. He will likely not be able to return home until the power is restored.

"I'll be on my own," Voos said.

She and her husband also secured their boat and made sure everything is tied down.

Voos recalled when Hurricane Gloria hit in 1985 and she was stuck down in the basement with a newborn and no running water while her husband was away at work for seven days straight.

"We had well water, and I had to go to the lake to get a bucket and fill it up with water," Voos said.  "Now we have public water, so it should be a piece of cake. I just worry about floods because the lake comes up from the bay."

Patchogue resident Jeff Downs, 50, was grateful that Brinkmann's still had D batteries on hand. He also got an extension cord for his generator, and a five-gallon water cooler.

"If they had a prayer mat, I would've bought that too," he said.  "I'm going to put everything that's outside inside. I'm taking the summer yard down, and the canvas; getting gas, and making sure everything's filled up.  What can you do?  I'm hoping I'm wasting my time."

Bayport's Ann Lettieri, 38, made a dash to King Kullen to pick up milk and canned foods "just in case." She also took all her patio furniture and put it in inside.

Jim Pappas, a Bayport resident in his fifties, said, "I picked up a little extra water; nothing that can go bad."

He's skeptical about the severity of the storm. "I think they're wrong.  I think it's just going to be windy and wet, and an inconvenience," Pappas said.