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LES Residents Scramble for Necessities Ahead of Winter Storm

By Trevor Kapp | February 8, 2013 12:40pm | Updated on February 8, 2013 2:12pm

EAST VILLAGE — LES and East Village residents stocked up on essentials Friday morning ahead of the city's first major snowstorm in two years — and in hopes of avoiding some of the hardships they experienced during Hurricane Sandy

“I’m getting what I need for four or five days,” said Christine Bookin, 55, who was filling her shopping cart with Ginger Ale, cereal, mini pizzas and several canned goods inside the Key Food on Avenue C. “I live in an elevator building, and I don’t want to take a chance. I don’t want a repeat of Sandy.”

Kim Robertson, 45, was on East Fourth Street inspecting her car and checking up on her 75-year-old father.

“I’m making sure my car isn’t parked near a tree,” said Robertson, a social worker. “I’m worried about power and heat. I’m just praying.”

The storm, which threatened to dump more than a foot of snow on the city, was expected to intensify Friday evening through Saturday morning.

Eddie Suarez, 51, a manager at Key Food, said he looked at the forecast far in advance and ordered more shipments in anticipation of bigger crowds.

“We tried to get extra merchandise — bread, milk, eggs — ahead of time,” Suarez said. “I expect a lot of shoppers today, and we wanted whatever we could get our hands on.”

Ranisha Venzen, 20, a cashier at the Key Food, came into Manhattan from East New York this morning on her off day just to load up.

“If the water stops working or my stove blows, I want to be prepared,” she said. “I’m trying to buy eggs, meat, milk, bread.”

“If I get snowed in, I get snowed in,” she added. “But at least I’ll have food.”