Shoppers Wary, But Not Panicking, About Irene

Shoppers perusing the aisles at Little Neck's Thursday afternoon were aware of the , a Category 3 storm expect to slam the area within the next few days. Very few, however, were actually bothered. 

"I'm not worried at all," said one shopper named Anna, dropping a bag of cookies into her cart. "It's just wind."

Anna was not alone in her nonchalance. Despite that New Yorkers stock up on drinking water and non-perishable food items, shopping was business as usual for many area residents, even as the storm visibly brewed outside.

Little Neck resident John Papas said he was not convinced that the storm was going to hit New York City at all, saying he figured it would divert to New Jersey and Long Island.

"If we get some rain, I'm not worried about that," he said. "If we get something like the last hail storm, that's different. I don't anticipate that, but I'm not a meteorologist."

Tom Silversmith, an outside vendor for a number of grocery stores throughout Queens and Long Island, said he's seen an appreciable increase in the sale of bottled water since the storm started making headlines earlier this week.

He has not, however, seen a run on any other emergency preparedness items, like batteries or flashlights.

Indeed, the few shoppers who were adjusting their weekly grocery lists did so only minimally. Most added an extra gallon of water to their carts not with a sense of panic, but with a shrug. 

"I just think it's better to be ready just in case," said Douglaston resident Melissa McCann. "I'm getting stuff I can use after anyway."