Shoppers Unconcerned About Hurricane Irene

It may have been just been the hot sun beating down on them in the parking lot, but customers exiting at the Dedham Mall Friday afternoon did not appear to be concerned about the hurricane barreling its way up the eastern seaboard toward New England.

“It’s not a big deal,” Bill Seibolt of West Roxbury said. “We’ve seen these kind of winds before. Besides, I think it is going to track well to the west of us.”

If the storm does hit the area hard, Seibolt said that he had “contingencies in place.” Asked what they were, he replied simply, “beer and Sangria.”

Seibolt said he was going to push forward with a planned cookout Friday, but for others, Mother Nature has been wreaking havoc on their plans.

Mike Shervanian, of Dedham, was supposed to travel to Washington, D.C. earlier in the week, but the put an end to that. 

Shervanian and his family had tickets to both a Yankees game and to see Spiderman on Broadway this weekend, but the declaration of a state of emergency in New York means they will be staying home instead. He said he still hopes to make use of the tickets they have to see the Mets play on Monday.

While the Shervanians are making the most of their literally disastrous vacation, others are more worried about how they are going to get to work in the storm. 

Leanne Yuscavitch, a North End resident, said her only concern was about getting to her job at on Sunday. Her trip to Stop and Shop was not to stock up on supplies, but rather to be able to get discount gas after she checked out.

More than two dozen cars were lined up waiting to use the pumps on Friday, but all interviewed said it was just a normal part of their routine. 

“I’m just filling up on my way home from work,” Bridget Schofield said. “Nothing exciting.”