Relief efforts are underway after a series of tornadoes swept through America’s Heartland over the weekend. The National Weather Service confirmed at least 60 tornadoes, ranging from EF-0 to EF-4, touched down between Texas and Iowa. Extensive damage in Nebraska and Iowa has been reported, with the brunt of the devastation hitting communities across Oklahoma.
Lowe's Command Center, in collaboration with functional partners across Supply Chain, Merchandising and Inventory Replenishment, swiftly responded to product requests, including chainsaws, trash bags, tarps, generators, bottled water and other wind event response items. Community Relations teams helped mobilize 624 tornado totes packed with clean up supplies to hardest hit areas. Lowe's District Manager Nicole Mayers said the damage is extensive in her area covering Omaha, Nebraska and Des Moines, Iowa.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged and several dozen have been demolished in both Nebraska and Iowa...This has been an uncomfortable and overwhelming experience for our community. However, I personally witnessed a strength of perseverance and an outpouring amount of love and support to those impacted and effected by the devastation.
District Manager Jonathan Batten, along with David Villalobos, store manager, and multiple Lowe's associates, traveled door-to-door in the Sulphur, Oklahoma, area to deliver totes. Batten says it's essential to be there for the community in this critical time of repairing and rebuilding.
My team has been nothing less than heroic in the efforts to serve the community, I couldn't be prouder of them. I am blown away to work alongside such outstanding individuals. No one else is here doing what Lowe's is doing, we are literally giving blood, sweat, and tears right alongside our community, and it feels great to be able to share some small part of that burden with them.
Lowe’s will continue to monitor the needs of the communities affected and be on high alert as the storm season surges on.
