PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The rush has started at hardware and grocery stores as people across the Portland metro area prepare for an impending winter storm.
Chris Richardson, manager of St. Johns Ace Hardware said business is picking up but he expects the real rush to start Wednesday, and that people don’t seem panicked yet but are definitely worried and getting prepared.
As for what has been popular with his customers, Richardson said they have been selling a good deal of ice melter, faucet covers, ice scrapers, and traction sand. Yak Tracks, ice traction for shoes, have also been going quickly.
Richardson said it’s not just important to prep your house and car for the cold, but also to be ready for your electricity to go out.
“Power outages are a part of this equation,” said Richardson. “If we get ice, the likelihood is the power is going to go out”
Ace also carries snow shovels and sleds…although at this point cold and ice seem to be the main concern in the forecast.
It is recommended to always have an emergency kit and go-bag ready to go in your home.
But hardware isn’t the only thing Portlanders are stocking up on as locals are preparing for their holiday meals, they’re now planning around the ice storm.
“I have some people that are making sure that we are going to have the product, making sure that they can possibly pick it up earlier or on Saturday,” said the president of Sheridan Fruit Company Anne Barwick.
Barwick also recalls how their southeast Portland store lost power for over a week during the last ice storm in February 2021.
“It was devastating,” said Barwick. “We had to close for a number of days, and we didn’t have our power, so I know what that can do to our business and I’m hoping that doesn’t happen again.”
Hopefully, the lessons learned from years past are to plan ahead and be prepared.