Hurricane Sandy has Batteries Flying Off Hardware Stores Shelves

While milk and water are popular food items when storms threaten, it seems batteries, flashlights and other power-providing items are most in demand at hardware stores in Blue Point and Sayville.

Brinkman Hardware, which operates stores in each community, began seeing an uptick in customer purchases related to those items, as well as propane tanksand gas fill-ups Thursday and Friday of last week.

Hurricane Sandy is expected to hit the south shore of Long Island this Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

"We've had a few calls for generators and we'll be getting steel equipment, for storm cleanup needs, in on Monday," said a customer salesperson at the Sayville hardware store. "We're selling alot of batteries in both locations but not as many pumps as the last big Nor'Easter storm."

Gas cans are also popular.

"We're hearing alot of talk of concern from customers are they come in to make sure they're ready," he added.