Flashlights, Batteries, Bottled Water In Short Supply As California Storm Looms

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Ahead of Thursday's storm, residents got their emergency supplies together, leaving stores across the region with bare shelves.

Outside of a West Sacramento AutoZone, the trash cans were filled with windshield wiper packaging as drivers were readying for the wet weather.

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Fahad Jvaid hopes a fresh set will help battle the sheets of rain in the forecast.

"It's my wife's car; she wants to be safe and I want her to be safe too, so what better day to do it then, than this lovely day," he said.

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The wind barely whispered outside a Sacramento Target on Wednesday, but the threat of 70 mph wind gusts knocking out power cleared shelves of flashlights and batteries.

Jenine Tran made a late run to Home Depot for tarps she hopes will keep things in her backyard from going airborne.

"We want to make sure everything is secure and tight, so it won't fly away and damage the house or part of the garden," she said.

Mom Lindsay Wicklund says she's leaving home early when she drops her kids off at school to make sure she has the time to drive safely in what could be a very hectic commute.

"I'm worried about if there is going to be flooding, or just wrecks; you never know," she said.