Hurricane Prohibition Ends in Pennsylvania

Hurricane Sandy may have soaked the tri-state area and beyond with torrential rain and record-breaking floods, but it left Pennsylvania dry for two days, as all 600 of the state's liquor stores were closed down. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, which controls the statewide sales of wine and liquor, decided to keep all liquor stores closed in order to "assess the damage from Hurricane Sandy." The monopoly also forbids PA residents from importing booze from neighboring states, in order to save on tax revenues. But of course, hurricanes and booze go hand in hand for many drinkers, forcing those desperately-seeking-booze to break the rules yesterday to obtain alcohol from liquor stores just across the border. "We're open for convenience," said Gary Brady, manager of Canal's Discount Liquor Mart in Pennsauken, Camden County; this store, and others in New Jersey and Delaware, are common destinations for Pennsylvanians hoping to illicitly sneak bootlegged liquor back in to their home state, where the taxes on alcohol are much higher. Most of Pennsylvania's liquor stores have reopened today.