A hot shower and clean clothes.

Among the many challenges that are presented after a destructive hurricane, those are two essential needs for people trying to regain some sense of normalcy. 

That’s why Lowe’s purchased disaster relief mobile convoys -- to provide that service for associates, and in time, the broader community. The organization’s fleet consists of eight total units – four shower units and four laundry units. Whirlpool provided the washers and dryers as donations. 

Convoys were deployed for the first time to the Lowe’s store in Gulf Breeze, Florida in the wake of Hurricane Sally.

“It may not seem like much, but before you go to work you want a hot shower and clean clothes,” Gulf Breeze store manager Karen Driggs said. “Those are the two basic things you need. It helped our associates to be able to work their shifts. It was huge.”

The convoys are a game-changer for Lowe’s when it comes to responding to natural disasters.

“This is something that we have wanted for years,” said Julie Yenichek, Lowe’s director of community relations. “Disaster after disaster, this is always a need. It’s just really exciting that the company has invested in this type of disaster response. We’ve had the buckets and the products, and now we’ll have a service. The basic needs after a disaster are so consistent no matter what it is. Any time you lose power, just having a hot shower and to do a load of laundry is critically important.”

Added senior director retail facilities Jay Clement: “It’s the culmination of a lot of meetings and a real team effort to aid the community and brand these for Lowe’s. They look wonderful.”

Driggs was admittedly surprised when the convoys first rolled up to her store. And she experienced first-hand the ways in which those units helped her team in a time of great need.

“To see something so state-of-the-art for the associates, something that nice, it really resonated,” she said.