SOUTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB) — Western Massachusetts prepares for Hurricane Irene.

Residents flocked to area supermarkets to stock up on food supplies. It was busier than normal at the Big Y Supermarket in Southampton on Thursday.

When bad weather is approaching like a hurricane, people like Bruce Geisler of Westhampton don’t want to get caught short, “I’m getting ready for the storm. I made one little trip yesterday and figured I’d better get some more water because I have a generator but it won’t power the water pump so it can get pretty high and dry,” says Geisler.

Bottled water was flying off the shelves. Big Y says another shipment of bottled water was expected later in the day to help replenish the bottled water supply.

And bottled water wasn’t the only item that people were looking for according to store director Karen Zucco. “It’s been very busy today since we opened at 7. They’ve been buying bottled water, batteries, canned goods, flashlights, anything related to not having power if we have any power outages,” says Zucco.

For another customer like Elvira Janez, hurricanes are nothing new, “I’m watching it because I used to live in Puerto Rico and I’m very aware of what a hurricane can do. I’m surprised, the other day I felt an earthquake and now we’re heading for a hurricane,” says Janez.

As customers stocked up, they are taking Hurricane Irene very seriously.

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