Tracking Henri: 'The Worst Of The Storm Is Yet To Come,' Nassau County Exec. Warns
ISLAND PARK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- There was a temporary a shortage of some critical supplies on Long Island due to Henri.
Some customers looking for gas were out of luck Sunday morning.
As CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reports, the story at on gas station on Austin Boulevard was it ran out of gas Saturday.
Workers told DeAngelis people were panic buying.
So far, it's the only gas station we've heard of dealing with this issue.
Tom Rourke was looking to fill up a gas can for his generator only to find out the hard way he couldn't.
"Obviously, they're out," Rourke said.
WATCH: Nassau County Officials Latest Update On Tropical Storm Henri
He wasn't the only person to show up and get turned away.
"I came to get some gas. My pups and I wanted to make sure we're safe in case things take a turn for the worse, and there's no gas here," one person said.
There are no signs at the pump alerting customers but there's some on the door of the Speedway gas station noting of "Diesel Only." The co-manager says they were cleared out, Saturday.
"I guess they're panicking about the weather and they cleared us out of the gas," said Chiwueze Chukwu. "I called them this morning they said they'll come this morning but obviously they're backed up."
He says customers were understanding. The ones DeAngelis met weren't surprised.
"Considering we ran out of toilet paper with this pandemic and everything, people tend to just freak out," one Island Park resident said.
Happily, more gas was delivered to the station just before noon Sunday.
People DeAngelis spoke to were happy to see the hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm.
"From what I've seen, it looks like it's going out east past Montauk and more towards New England. We've survived many, many storms in Long Beach so we'll be OK," Rourke said.
While there is some good news, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says the North Shore remains a concern because of the way the storm is moving, and people shouldn't take any chances.
"We do ask people to stay off the road. The worst of the storm is yet to come. It may seem fine now, just a normal rain storm, but winds will pick up, there will be bands of extreme precipitation rain coming through," Curran said.
She is also reminding people the ground is saturated from rain over the past few days.
Department of Public Works crews have been out around the clock, clearing storm drains.
Fire Island residents and visitors were urged to leave before Henri's arrival and many people spent Saturday stocking up as the storm approached.
"I bought wood to cover up stuff so it doesn't break my windows or anything like that, try to protect as much of the glass as I can," said Joe Samler of Sayerville.
"I just got the last flashlight in the Home Depot. So I feel a little lucky right now," said Michelle Barber of Bayport.
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Not everyone was as lucky. Other last-minute shoppers, like Prad Patri of Lake Ronkonkoma, left the Home Depot in Patchogue empty-handed.
Patri said necessities like batteries and generators were gone.
"There's nothing left over here. I even wanted some power to back up some of my freezer. Nothing left," he said.
Others getting gas at the Shell on East Main Street said they were trying not to worry while preparing for the worst.
"Two tanks. That's for the generator, just in case. Hopefully, I don't need it," said Lou Roca of Blue Point.
"Make sure your vehicles have gas, make sure you have food, make sure you have water in house and if you have batteries or phones, make sure they're charged," said Freeport Mayor Robert Kennedy. "Make sure we have fully charged batteries. In the event of emergency, you'll be able to reach out to people."
The storm is expected to hit Long Island hardest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency, deploying hundreds of National Guard members to Long Island. The strongest winds are expected on the East End.
"The Long Island effects will be certainly serious, tidal areas, they're talking about 8 to 10 inches of rain, which will create significant flooding," Cuomo said. "Those wind gusts in tidal areas and the surge, that will be a significant problem."
Cuomo said that resources from as far as Buffalo had been redeployed to Long Island.
Cuomo also reminded New Yorkers about the devastation from Sandy and urged them to take Henri seriously.
"We've seen this movie. We don't need to see it again. Please, act responsibly," Cuomo said.
PSEG Long Island warned power outages could last for days, potentially more than a week.
There is no Long Island Rail Road service east of Patchogue on the Montauk Branch or to and from Greenpoint on Sunday.
