Photos: New Yorkers prepare for Hurricane Irene with beer, duct tape and brunch

Last week an earthquake and this weekend a hurricane: Life in New York City is starting to resemble a disaster film. We take pride in our street smarts, but are New Yorkers prepared to deal with the worst hurricane threat in 26 years?

To see how businesses and locals are getting ready for Hurricane Irene, I walked around the East Village and Lower East Side on Friday and Saturday. I discovered critical shortages of emergency supplies at Kmart, shuttered doors at Whole Foods and resilient New Yorkers determined to enjoy their Saturday tradition: the boozy brunch.

If these photos are any indication, we’ll sail through this crisis on a beer high!

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_Heart Break Bar 2

Beer makes up for crucial battery, flashlight shortages

When Mayor Bloomberg ordered mandatory evacuations of flood-prone areas on Friday, New Yorkers began to take the hurricane threat seriously. By 3 PM on Friday, dozens of people were lined up on 14th Street, waiting to get into Trader Joe’s supermarket.

A few hours later, the Kmart at Astor Place was clogged with local residents in search of emergency supplies.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene 2

Kmart’s flashlight inventory was sold out by Thursday night and the store was completely out of batteries on Friday, according to staff. Customers were filling carts with the few remaining crates of water, along with beer, candy and Gatorade.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene at Kmart 4

With little hurricane experience, many New Yorkers seemed confused about what products to buy. Water was the obvious choice, but only two crates of Evian and a dozen bottles of Smart Water remained on the shelves.

Flushing my toilet with a bottle of Evian seemed like a Manhattan cliche, but I loaded a crate on my shopping cart.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene at Kmart 6

Kmart’s camping aisle had a noticeable gap; all of the lanterns and flashlights were missing from the shelves. Not a single battery-operated light source was available for sale in the store.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene at Kmart 5

The cooler aisle was also ransacked, and only the tiny or enormous models remained on the shelves.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene at Kmart 3

After visiting the beer aisle, it became clear why so many New Yorkers were desperate for coolers. With no batteries, flashlights or large jugs of water available, residents would have to rely on alcohol to get through the storm.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene at Kmart

At checkout, shopping carts were clogged with chips, cookies, sugary drinks and other unhealthy snacks. I felt compelled to tweet about the poor selection at Kmart, and the fact that New Yorkers aren’t sure how to prepare for this type of storm.

A Nashville-based blogger responded with helpful advice. I was relieved to see most Kmart shoppers had at least two of these six items in their carts:

Duct tape and sandbags form first line of defense

When the bustling Cafe Orlin shutters its doors for Saturday brunch, you know local businesses are taking the hurricane threat seriously.

Throughout the East Village and Lower East Side, stores covered their windows with duct tape and plastered “closed for the hurricane” signs on their doors.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_Karaoke lounge

The sight of X’s on shop windows, combined with graffiti scrawled on the walls, added a post-apocalyptic air to the Bowery.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_TKettle shop

While bloggers debate the effectiveness of using duct tape on windows, business owners on St Marks Place have embraced this low-cost form of prevention.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_Heart Break Bar

The Heart  Break restaurant looked like a student art project on Saturday, with its duct-taped windows forming a checkerboard of sorts.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_Patricia Field

Fashionistas were forced to look elsewhere for vinyl mini skirts on Saturday morning, as the Patricia Field boutique on Bowery was strewn in silver tape and covered by metal grates.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_Storm readiness on Bowery

Duct tape wasn’t for everyone, however. Some business owners upgraded to heavy plastic tarps. This Bowery lounge covered a wall of windows with a sheet held down by heavy rocks. Presumably, this would deflect the blow of an errant shopping cart sent flying by the hurricane.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene_Lukes Lobster Roll

Luke’s lobster shack also embraced the tarp, using it to cover the metal doors to its underground storage area. The eatery also introduced a Southern U.S. hurricane staple: the sand bag.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene_Caracas Restaurant

Neighboring Caracas restaurant, known for its Colombian arepas, dutifully covered its cellar door in plastic and sand.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_Shuttered restaurant on Bowery

Upscale eatery Peels, located on a stretch of the Bowery deemed “lower Manhattan’s answer to the Champs-Élysées” by New York magazine, clearly takes hurricane preparation seriously.

Its wood-covered windows will protect the restaurant from flying objects– and post-hurricane looters looking for hot menu items like andouille corn dogs.

Subways, supermarkets close before hurricane

Governor Cuomo took the unprecedented step of shutting all subway and bus service at noon on Saturday, ensuring New Yorkers can’t wander around Manhattan in gale force winds.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_2nd Ave Subway Closed

A policewoman was posted outside of the 2nd Avenue Subway stop, which was already shuttered on Saturday morning.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene_Whole Foods on Houston

Procrastinating Lower East Siders were forced to shop for hurricane rations at bodegas, since Whole Foods was closed on Saturday. A security guard stood inside the door making sure no one tried to enter.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene_Upside down trash

Adding to the zombie apocalypse vibe, the city’s green garbage cans were all upturned. Conscientious  locals placed their trash on top of the cans, instead of throwing their litter on the street.

Brunch as usual

New Yorkers seemed determined to carry on with their usual weekend routines, despite the impending storm.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_St Marks Skateboarder

When rain started to pour around 10:30 AM on Saturday, many sought cover under store awnings and scaffolding. A brave skateboarder seemed unfazed as he sped down St Marks Place in the East Village.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_Bowery Hotel

Just moments before, the weather was sunny and humid. Brunch goers flocked to the few open restaurants, like the Gemma Trattoria at the Bowery Hotel.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_St Marks and 3rd Ave

Outdoor seating is highly coveted in the East Village, and some diners refused to give up their plum seats when it started to pour.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane_St Marks storm

The rain didn’t damper last-minute runs for hurricane supplies. The line snaked down the aisle at the St Marks Market, and only expired or exotic breads were left on the bakery shelves.

Hurricane parties

Once key supplies have been purchased, there’s little to do but wait for the hurricane to touch down in New York City. Some city dwellers are planning hurricane parties, and the (open) East Village bars will be bustling tonight.

I calmed my pre-hurricane jitters with a tasty margarita at La Palapa in the East Village on Friday.

NYC getting ready for Hurricane Irene

How are you preparing for Hurricane Irene?

Share your plans by leaving a comment below!

>> Post-hurricane update: Click here to see how the East Village fared in Hurricane Irene

About Leslie Koch

I'm a New Yorker with a passion for travel and art. I founded DowntownTraveler.com after returning from a year-long backpacking trip around the world. Find me on Twitter at @leslietravel.