SUGAR LAND, Texas – Since Hurricane Ike, more than 1.1 million people have moved into Houston area.
For many of those people, Tropical Storm Harvey may be their first major storm experience.
As hundreds of people flocked to the H-E-B in Sugar Land, many people who have lived there for decades had their own pieces of advice about what to put in their carts.
"We're in hurricane territory here. You better have something to drink and something to eat," said Sugar Land resident John Ostergen.
It is sound advice for those like Allen Meier, who is new to the area.
"This is my first one, and everybody at the office is telling me I need to get some things," Meier said.
Meier moved there for work. He hasn't quite felt the wrath of Gulf Coast weather. He is one of the the 1.1 million people who have moved to greater Houston since Ike.
"The thing [my co-workers] pointed out was fill your tub with water -- this way you can flush your toilet, which I didn't do," Meier said.
Luckily for first-timers, the customers at H-E-B were happy to share what is in their carts.
"Canned food so you got stuff that you can eat so that it doesn't spoil," said Ostergen.
"You have to have a cooler because everything in your fridge is going to go bad," said Joanna Valliere who has lived in Sugar Land for 12 years.
"Portable radios, weather radios," said shopper Chris Barr. "And a generator."
Experts said having water, extra batteries, flashlights and a first-aid kit would also prove helpful in the event of a storm.
However, these shoppers also said you should also be aware of water outside and on the roads.
"Stay indoors if they tell you to stay indoors; do what they tell you to do," said Valliere.
"Stay out of the high water," said Barr.
However, many residents said most importantly:
"Don't panic."
"I have some fruit. I have some protein with nuts. I have bananas, lots of water, and I'm on my way to aisle 19 for peanut butter and some bread," Meier said.
