As Hurricane Earl was within 24 hours of passing the East End of Long Island, some people were taking the storm’s threat more seriously than others.
At Bay Shore supermarkets, business was brisker than usual for a Thursday evening, although calmer than it had been earlier when a rush on bottled water emptied the shelves. At the nearby Fire Island Ferry terminal, the adventurous lined up for the last boat of the night to Ocean Beach at 10:20 p.m. while fully aware that they would be stuck there when service gets cut off at 3 p.m. Friday. Further east in the Hamptons, hotel reservations were continuing to fill up for the Labor Day weekend.
Whether it is the weekend of summer spent at home hunkered down for the storm or out in a vacation destination, Long Islanders are prepared.
“We feel like if we can brave the storm, then it’ll be a good time,” said Matthew Rutter, a 26-year-old accountant from New Jersey who was boarding the ferry to Ocean Beach with two buddies and a duffle bag stocked with groceries late Thursday.
“I’m excited for it, but we have to secure the furniture,” said Carli Steinberg, a 24-year-old law student from New Jersey destined for another share house in the seaside community.
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Whether or not Earl makes an impact, these folks will see plenty of hurricanes—as in the rum-based adult beverage.
“We’ve been getting a lot of calls from people asking about our cancellation policy, but so far no cancellations,” said Jacob Depew, the desk clerk at the Atlantic Motel in Southampton. “Surprisingly we’re booking up for the weekend. They’re thinking we’re not in the storm’s path.”
Despite the optimism, several businesses in Southampton on Wednesday said there’s been hardly a ripple of anxiety.
“We don’t take reservations, but I don’t think it’s going to be that bad,” said Jessica Kismen, the manager of Barristers restaurant.
Don Sullivan, the owner of the Southampton Publick House, confessed he wasn’t overly concerned.
“The early indicators seem to have been right that it’s going to brush past Long Island,” he said, but confessed that a rainy day isn’t the worst thing in the bar business.
“There’s not much to do on a real rainy holiday weekend,” he said, noting people tend to gravitate toward the shopping district for a burger or a beer.
“That’s just the way it is,” he said. “For those who may suffer there’s someone else who may reap a little benefit. So I’m doing a rain dance for Friday, early Saturday.”
But two European visitors said they had heard the weather reports and were not taking any chances.
“Yes we actually did change our plans,” said Jenny Johahnnsciottir, a designer from Sweden. “We were supposed to leave on Friday night, but we will leave tomorrow night instead.”
Her friend, Helena Wallertz, said she was disappointed the storm was forcing their early departure.
“We would have liked to stay here longer,” she said. “We thought after watching all the weather forecasts on TV we thought we wanted to go back.”
With Associated Press