SAN ANTONIO – Memories of the February 2021 winter storm were still fresh on the minds of shoppers who flocked to hardware and grocery stores on Wednesday.
“I’m just thinking about last year and how crazy it got,” said Chelsea Olsen, who was at Home Depot buying pipe insulation for her older home.
Although she wasn’t ready last year, Olsen said the pipes didn’t burst, so her home actually fared better than most.
“I’m really grateful for that,” she said. “That was a blessing.”
Lupe Benavides said her family wasn’t as fortunate. Their pipes burst, so this year, her family bought more insulation.
“Everything’s ready at home. We’ve got everything covered. Our dogs will be in, and our plants are in. And so I think we’re a little bit more ready than last year,” Benavides said.
Ray Garcia, the manager at the Home Depot on Bandera Road, said shoppers have been asking for faucet covers since 6 a.m. when the store opened.
The supply there was running low, but he said they had plenty of pipe insulation.
He said, surprisingly, generators weren’t selling as much as firewood, which sold out later in the day.
Garcia said, judging by what he’s seen, “A lot of people are more prepared than last year. Last year, they weren’t prepared. They were coming at the last minute.”
Tino Luna, the assistant manager at La Fiesta Supermarket in the 4100 block of Blanco, said in anticipation of the frigid weather, the store doubled its orders from its distributors.
Luna apparently calculated correctly.
“The sales were like double than they normally are. Let’s put it that way. That’s how good it is,” Luna said.
He said it’s quite obvious, “They want to be ready.”
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