PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Plywood at local hardware stores is moving quickly off the shelves as home and business owners begin to board up their properties ahead of Hurricane Irma.
Hurricane Irma would be Samantha Krupski’s first major storm.
“Just trying to be prepared, because I don’t know what to expect, so I’d rather have what I need, rather than not having anything at all,” said Krupski.
Originally from New York, she’s been working at Angelo’s Pizza on Clearwater Beach for the last four years.
Krupski just bought the pizzeria six months ago.
“This is my baby, so now just getting her, you know like I said, I’d rather be safe than sorry,” she said. “We’re definitely covering the main windows here, the doors and on the side we have a few windows also, so we’ll be covering those.”
Krupski, along with dozens of others, stopped by the Home Depot on Gulf To Bay Boulevard on Tuesday to grab plywood.
Supplies are flying off the shelves.
“I was going to do it earlier, I figured, well it’s going to be a mad rush and a soon as I pulled in here and I realized I better get it now,” said customer Joe Zeller.
Management said they’re doing what they can to keep it in stock.
“The big thing for us honestly is trying to get safety for our customers, as well as our associates, so everyone is looking for the same thing. Plywood is obviously very important,” said store manager Ramon Estevez. “Our corporate team in Atlanta has done a phenomenal job making sure they’re keeping us in stock, so we’ve got things running, so we’ll be able to take care of our customers. That’s really our biggest thing today is to help customers prepare for the storm.”
Estevez said daily shipments continue to come in.
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HURRICANE IRMA COVERAGE –
- The latest on Hurricane Irma from Storm Team 8
- 2017 Hurricane Guide
- Where to get sandbags in the Tampa Bay area
- Gov. Scott declares state of emergency in all Fla. counties in response to Hurricane Irma
- Gov. Scott encouraging Floridians to be prepared for hurricane
- AG Bondi activates Florida’s price gouging hotline in wake of declared state of emergency
- Bottled water, supplies going fast as Tampa Bay area prepares for possibility of Hurricane Irma
- Tampa Bay area residents need to get hurricane plans in place while skies still blue
- AP source: NFL considers moving Bucs game against Dolphins due to Irma
BE HURRICANE-READY WITH STORM TEAM 8
