Generators in High Demand Following Irene

So you need a generator? Well, there’s a lot of that going around.

Skip Bray, the owner of at 1840 Foxon Road in North Branford, says the “lines have been out the door.” 

It’s hard, he says, just to get the quantity needed to sell. Trying to keep up with the demand, with his wife Debbie and son Stetson, they have been chasing down generators all over the state since well before the hurricane arrived. 

Chain-saws have been a very popular item, as well. There have, in fact, been occasions where the Brays have had to cut up trees themselves to get where they were going for the next batch of inventory. Not to mention, Debbie’s car was rear-ended and totaled at one point in the process.

Just to keep things interesting, the computers have quit, not once but twice, so far. Their computer specialist tells them it’s a matter of overload; too many invoices, for example -- 307 on Friday alone.

Talking to them on Monday morning, they say 60 generators had been sold already that morning, and that 170 will arrive on Tuesday. They have been staying open late into the night to keep up with the demand.

“We’re grateful we can help people,” Debbis says.

One of their customers, waiting in line, says she has come from Madison. 

“There’s nothing open in Madison,” she points out. She is looking for a chain-saw and a generator and “possibly a wood-chipper.” She has, she explains, five 70-foot trees down in her yard.

Many of the customers have been sent there by the people at (CP&H), up the road. 

Tracy Esposito, in charge of inventory control there, explains that CP&H does not sell generators, but has had plenty of requests that they have referred to Giant Oak. They have still managed to sell plenty of batteries, flashlights and sandbags. And plenty of propane. 

Asked if they still have any of these things in stock, she says they have been getting deliveries constantly and have, and continue to, stay up with the demand, with more trucks scheduled to arrive on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

“We’re bringing in trucks every single day, trying to help people,” she says.

Another big item, says Gary Falanga, head of the paint department, is garbage cans. Not for garbage, but to keep water in. And, even more so,  “…those bath-tub things … the flap for the bathtub, so they can fill their bathtub full of water. The whole department was wiped out.”

Some of their customers know the tricks of the trade, though. 

Luanne Vincent, who was there to pick up her repaired wheelbarrow tire so she can clean up her yard, passes along advice she came by from years of living on a boat.

“Living on a boat has helped teach us how to conserve water,” she says. The water, she explains, gets used three times. As an example, she says the water that’s used to steam the vegetables then goes to washing the dishes, and finally it goes to flush the head.