Central Oregonians gearing up for winter

If you’ve been dreaming of a white winter, you’re in luck. Many Central Oregonians spent Tuesday shoveling snow out of their driveways and rushing to stores to grab last-minute winter gear.

Shovels, sandbags and ice melter are just a few of the items that Central Oregon residents picked up today to get ready for the snowy season.

Some people were prepared,

“We just bought a new set of tires and we’re ready to go. We’ve been here 20 years so” said Jim and Judy Abplanalp.

But others not so much.

“I think a lot of people are not ready for it at all. That’s why you see a lot of people coming in and loading their cars full of shovels,” said Marc Mills and Anthony Spence.

People flooded stores to grab last-minute supplies to combat the powder, ice and chilly weather.

“It’s pretty common, pretty much every year,” said Dusty Harris, store manager at ACE Hardware in Bend.

“I mean, we lose things, we can’t find the things, so we tend to just re-purchase the things,” he said. “Plus, with the influx of new people, Californians not being prepared for it at all. And we do have a lot of out-of-staters. so I’d say it’s pretty close to the first snowstorm.”

Long-time Central Oregonians know that winter here is no joke, but everyone can agree that you need to be prepared with winter supplies.

“I would get sand, even if they get cat litter. I would probably get some shovels, so we can keep the sidewalks and the streets clean for local businesses,” said Zac Abel.

“Propane for a heater,” said Paul Chamberlain.

“Probably some good warm clothes and some nice boots,” said Misty Wagner.

“Salt and shovels, salt and shovels,” said John Semar. ” I’m here for salt, a bunch of it. I’ve already got the shovel. I learned the hard way: If you don’t get the shovel early, you’re not going to get one.”.

This winter, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry.