Kansas City shoppers prepare for impending ice storm, swamp grocery store

Stedmond Ware has only been in Kansas City about a week and a half, so he is not used to the looming three-day forecast that calls for freezing rain beginning Friday.

A native of Greenwood, Miss., Ware moved to the area about 10 days ago to start a new job in community development. He said he got a taste of winter last weekend when low temperatures hovered in the single digits.

The National Weather Service predicts this weekend’s storm could be “dangerous and potentially crippling” with up to three-quarters of an inch of ice accumulating in some parts of the area.

On Thursday, Ware joined hundreds of shoppers at Sun Fresh in Westport during the evening rush hour to gather last-minute items in preparation for the storm.

“I’m waiting to see what it’s going to bring,” Ware said of the storm as he shopped for what he termed junk food. “We’re hoping for the best, but we’ll see what happens.”

Joshua Farr waited in the checkout line for nearly 30 minutes before he could get in sight of a cashier. His cart was full of food ranging from eggs to milk to cheese. He was prepared for the wait.

“I figured it would get kind of crazy,” Farr said, adding he doesn’t think the storm will be as bad as predicted. “I was just trying to beat the rush.”

Lauren Nguyen was shopping for necessities such a water and toilet paper. A native of Nebraska, Nguyen said she is familiar with inclement weather. She’s hopeful the storm will pass through with minimal damage so that she can enjoy a relaxing weekend.

“I’m not too scared,” Nguyen said, “but we will see what happens.”

Another shopper, Kim Duncan, whipped through the store with a shopping cart full of food and a grocery list in hand. Duncan said she had most of the groceries and toiletries she needed for a few days. However, she said, there was one item still left on the list.

“Tuna,” Duncan said. “I have to get some tuna.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Kansas City shoppers prepare for impending ice storm, swamp grocery store."