Storm preparations leave bare shelves

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - As Sandy heads toward the northeast, bringing the threat for power outages along with it, there are some people that are always prepared.

"I stay pretty stocked up most of the time. I keep a few extra things of gas for the lawn mower or the car in case something happens, like last years October storm," said Dan Childs of Chicopee.

But for the procrastinators, you might be out of luck.

The Home Depot in Chicopee reported to 22News that they’re already selling out of C, D and 6 volt batteries, gas tanks are gone and there's nothing left in the flashlight section except for bare shelves.

If you want to buy a generator, good luck! The fifty two generators they received on Saturday were so popular they were sold by a ticket system, even at $700 a piece!

"We handed out numbers one to fifty two for the people that were first in line. We kept bringing them out, calling the numbers and they were sold probably within 40 minutes…We don't even know when the next batch would be coming in unfortunately," said George LePage, an employee at the Home Depot in Chicopee.

While generators were a popular item to buy before the storm, for those that don't have them and don't plan on buying them, they have their reasons.

"I've lived in the same house for 30 years and I've never had to have one yet. Last year I was fortunately I didn't lose electricity. We're hoping this year would be the same," said Bob Kough of Chicopee.