With Hurricane Irene approaching the New York area in the coming days, many people are already stocking up and taking precautions.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the state's Office of Emergency Management to prepare for potential problems arising from the hurricane's impact.

We are actively working to ensure that New York State is prepared for the potential impact of Hurricane Irene, Cuomo said in a statement. ... I encourage New Yorkers to pay close attention to the track of the hurricane and, if necessary, to follow the instructions of emergency officials. By properly preparing in advance, we can most calmly and decisively take action if the storm arrives.

Supermarkets in downtown Manhattan were generally quiet Thursday afternoon. However, it was a different story on Long Island.

We have the store packed with people bracing for the storm, said Daniel Alario, the manager of Waldbaum's in Rockville Center. Citing an urgency to deal with the crowd, he declined to answer further questions from IBTimes.

Fred Furbito, who manages another Walbaum's in East Meadow, said store traffic was higher than it normally was on Thursday afternoon, but not by an overwhelming amount. Still, he expected the number of people coming into the store to increase in the evening, as people get off of work.

Tomorrow, he is expecting a big crowd, and plans to calling in additional staff to help.

We'll have all hands on deck, Furbito said.

On its Web site, The Long Island Power Authority has told people to assemble a disaster supply kit to prepare for the hurricane. Included are ample canned ford and a manual can opener, at least three gallons of water per person and materials available to protect doors and windows.

Both Cuomo's and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office have called on city leaders to get ready for the storm.

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