Thousands of buckets of relief supplies, hot meals were distributed to the storm victims
When up to nine tornadoes touched down in heavily populated areas of Dallas, Texas in recent weeks, they destroyed homes, businesses and schools along the way. In response, more than 130 Lowe’s associates from 25 stores helped with debris cleanup by cutting down trees, removing limbs, and passing out disaster relief buckets and hot meals to victims of the storm.
District Manager Steve Mills worked with the mayor’s office to coordinate and said Lowe’s was one of the first retailers on the ground supporting recovery efforts.
“The residents were extremely moved by the fact that we were there, not to sell anything, but to help,” Mills said. “They were appreciative of the willingness of the employees to do whatever they were asking us to do.”
The tornadoes left a 17-mile stretch of damage in the North Dallas area. The associates canvassed four neighborhoods impacted by the storm and described the destruction they witnessed.
“It looked like a war zone out there. The devastation was unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Mills added. “There were buildings that were completely demolished. Three schools that took a direct hit, homes were missing their roofs, trees collapsed on homes. It looked like something you’d see out of a movie.”
In addition, over 100 associates served over 1,400 hot meals from Operation BBQ Relief, one of Lowe’s disaster relief partners, and distributed hundreds of disaster relief buckets at community events at stores in North Dallas. The Duracell PowerForward truck was on-site distributing free batteries, while insurance and restoration recovery companies were there to assist victims.