Nearly every blockbuster disaster film shows us how New York City handles the apocalypse, but we rarely get to see what New Yorkers are really up to on the ground as disaster approaches. Well, now we know, thanks so the panic-stricken Twitter messages from hundreds of people in the tri-state area anticipating a major snow storm.
The bottom line: Hoarding is in.
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Like most panic buying, it started as a trickle, just after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's dramatic televised speech during which he described the upcoming snow storm as "one of the largest snowstorms in the history of this city."
Of course, there was some grumbling about de Blasio's claims being somewhat over-the-top. But anyone who cared to read what the meteorologists are saying quickly realized that this really could turn out to be an historic weather event. Hoard mode: On!
Still some left...
So there's 2 feet of snow coming to the NY/NJ area and this is what people do to the store shelves? Huh? pic.twitter.com/ybOLHqwyhj— MattCundill (@MattCundill) January 26, 2015
Picked clean!
Friend just sent me a pic of the bread aisle in her store. So I guess people are getting ready for the snow... pic.twitter.com/5Wc9vjCWo7— Dina Dale (@orsognadina) January 26, 2015
I went to the store earlier. Let the craziness begin! #snow #NJ pic.twitter.com/Tb06B1MmLg— Nanalicious (@ThatGrieta) January 26, 2015
Zero eggs left at store. It's going to snow....but not forever. #youwillgetout #letsnotgetexcitedhere pic.twitter.com/lKHTjjUpVS— Pam Levengood (@pamlev) January 26, 2015
Biggest snowstorm since 1996 = panic in park slope. Check out this line of ppl looking to get into @foodcoop pic.twitter.com/jfS82tFfC6— kimlast (@kimlast) January 25, 2015
#Snowmageddon2015 is coming & in #PortWashington everyone is buying water - can't we just melt the snow? ;) pic.twitter.com/gfi7gZox8J— Rabbi Danny Burkeman (@rabbidanny) January 26, 2015
Grocery shopping wasn't a great idea with 24 inches of snow set to hit LI tmrw night. Lines going down the aisles pic.twitter.com/OPf2lDBhLN— Kevin Rozell (@Zellyanks) January 25, 2015
This is the bread aisle in Shop Rite. Yay snow. pic.twitter.com/sSrpCuaDGZ— Calaya (@caleigh_edge) January 25, 2015
Thankfully, we haven't seen many images of people elbowing each other to grab that last loaf of bread, but it's early yet, and the first snowflake has yet to fall.