Lowe's Steps Up to Record-Breaking Storms

Madelaine Vander Woude
Jun 10, 2024

May is always a busy month for severe weather. Still, this year's rash of storms and tornadoes will go down in the record books as the busiest in over a decade, with over 6,100 reports of severe weather, including 475 tornado reports.  

Lowe's Command Center monitored these severe weather systems nationwide and coordinated with more than 40 teams across the company to support our associates, customers and communities. Teams worked around the clock to ensure associates were accounted for and stores were equipped with critical supplies needed by the communities we serve.  

Our Mooresville-based Command Center, the nerve center of our disaster response, sprang into action twice during May, a testament to our readiness and commitment to community relief efforts. Moving into “Activation” allowed the team fully engage functional captains to coordinate a comprehensive response to widespread power outages across much of the Central U.S., namely metro areas in Texas and Arkansas. 

Captains are subject matter experts that provide targeted assistance on an expedited timeline. Out of the many actions taken, captains helped replenish inventory for key product categories – including but not limited to generators, chainsaws, propane, tarps, roofing products and bottled water. Teams also assisted with deploying the Lowe’s Rental Disaster Response Trailer to Store 694 – Lowe’s of Rogers, Arkansas. The trailer provides affordable one-time rental options for key categories. 

Our mission is to deliver the right home improvement products with the best service and value, across every channel and community we serve. Notably, Lowe's responded to 71 communities in need, following several rounds of severe weather throughout May. Our Store teams went into their communities to hand out 1,080 buckets and 1,008 totes filled with supplies, along with several in-kind donations to local first responders.   

Lowe's associates weren't immune to the fallout from these severe storms, and many needed assistance from the Lowe's Employee Relief Fund (LERF), a program funded by the company and its associates to help fellow red vests in need. In fact, 180 LERF grants were given to associates experiencing hardships due to the severe weather and its impacts.