As the wind began picking up Monday afternoon in Jefferson County, residents and officials were preparing for the high winds and water along shorelines expected from Hurricane Sandy.
All around Jefferson County, people were stocking up on water, fuel and food, stowing loose items in their yards, and storing boats for the winter ahead of Hurricane Sandy.
Many marinas along Lake Ontario's shoreline have already closed for the season, but Harbor's End, in Henderson, is still in the process of lifting its 80 boats out of the water for dry winter storage. Mike Miller is general manager.
“The winds are starting to come in pretty strong now, so we're tying up anything that's loose and picking up anything that can fly away, and any boats that are still in the water, we're securing to the docks so they don't bang against the docks and eventually break away, if that happens,” Miller said.
Miller says the boats still in the water require constant monitoring, because their ties have to be slackened if water levels rise. Workers were also moving equipement and boats out of the way of trees Monday afternoon, to prevent damage from falling limbs.
Storm preparations were good for business at Sackets Harbor Country Mart. Vince Battista owns the gas station and convenience store.
“Out of the ordinary for a Monday when the season is over for us in Sackets Harbor – business is up for us 300 percent, mostly gasoline sales for generators and they're filling up their vehicles,” Battista said. “I've sold out of bread already, and we're getting 250 bags of ice delivered because we've sold out of ice.”
Battista said Sandy was the talk of the town. Conversations in the store had switched from the election to the weather as people stopped in Monday afternoon.