The 10 Worst Things You Can Do During Severe Weather

[kentauros]

37. Your question can apply to anyone on the Gulf Coast or lower East Coast, too :)

I can think of several reasons, though you'd probably have to stop random people and ask them why they are buying new plywood instead of using previous sheets to get accurate reasons.

1) because some people just don't think of it. They think because they don't get storms hitting where they live every single year that there's no reason to keep that wood for just that purpose. They'll end up building something else with it later, and then have to go back to the lumberyard again next storm. And probably never even think "Maybe I should have kept those other boards from the last storm..."

2) People new to the area in either new homes, or homes where the previous owner didn't leave the already prepared boards behind when they moved (they got tossed out with all the other detritus of moving day, or the realtor threw them out.)

3) Similar to #2 but not new to the area, just moved into a new place with no pre-existing boards to use.

4) unmitigated panic, partly caused by equally unmitigated local fear-mongering news stations