The first significant hurricane of 2023, Hurricane Idalia, is on track to hit Florida's coast and kick off the next three months of dangerous weather. As communities are gearing up for the impact, Lowe's Command Center is hard at work ensuring emergency supplies and response teams are poised to be ready for any event.
Newsroom: What’s the Command Center’s role when it comes to storm preparation?
Command Center: Year-round, Lowe’s Command Center is focused on natural disasters and how the company can better prepare and respond to meet the needs of our associates, customers and communities.
Weather forecast data helps field teams and supply chain leadership determine the proper level of support needed from the Command Center. The Command Center collaborates with functional teams to close or adjust store hours, keep associates safe and assess any damage to facilities.
Lowe’s pre-stages more than 200 trucks with emergency supplies to deploy during major events, even before storms are predicted. This helps Lowe’s supply chain and transportation partners get product to our customers and communities faster.
NR: What efforts are being made to prepare for Hurricane season in the most vulnerable areas?
CC: Powered by the resiliency of Lowe’s supply chain network, the Command Center pre-stages product at a dedicated disaster distribution center in metro Atlanta to expedite emergency supplies to stores that are in high-risk areas – such as Florida – at a moment’s notice.
This includes donated products that can be deployed to impacted communities as part of a Lowe’s Bucket Brigade following the storm.
NR: What can stores do to prepare for Hurricane season?
CC: The Command Center constantly communicates with store teams, field inventory managers and field merchants to evaluate inventory and then flow in the appropriate products to support the prep and recovery phases within high-risk markets.
To help facilitate Lowe’s overall hurricane response, the Command Center leverages functional team captains – subject matter experts across dozens of business functions – to support during major events. Functional teams who provide targeted assistance include Human Resources, Store Operations, Merchandising, Marketing and many more.
NR: How can communities in the path of a hurricane, like Hurricane Idalia lean on Lowe’s during this time?
CC: Lowe’s has a wide variety of products to help our customers and communities prepare for and recover from hurricanes. The Command Center pre-stages specific products that Lowe’s typically sees high demand for before and after the storm, this includes generators, gas cans, tarps, flashlights, batteries and bottled water.
Following the storm, the Command Center continues to partner with store teams, field inventory managers and field merchants to evaluate inventory and flow in the appropriate products to support recovery in the market. The need for Employee Relief Teams, groups of associates from areas not impacted by the storm, is assessed and teams are deployed if needed.
Based on storm impact, the Command Center works with Lowe’s disaster partners, service providers and nonprofit Pro customers to begin planning relief events for customers and associates impacted the most. Stores can host community relief events to pass out donated product and offer one-time rental options on chainsaws and other equipment through Lowe’s Rental.
