After Helene made landfall in Florida on September 26 as a Category 4 hurricane, the storm system continued to wreak havoc across the Southeast, becoming one of the deadliest storms to hit the mainland United States in the 21st century.
Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Milton barrelled across Florida, bringing extreme winds, tornados, and record-breaking flooding.
As survivors have begun to come together and pick up the pieces, home improvement giant Lowe's is mobilizing on the ground to provide relief for millions and ensure communities have what they need.
What's happening?
Despite Hurricane Helene impacting more than 350 of Lowe's own stores, the company has deployed what it calls the largest response effort in company history to get crucial supplies and donations to more than 25 communities in the Southeast. It also pledged $2 million to support recovery efforts.
"People depend on us. They need us and we show up for them," Chris Reynolds, a store manager in Boone, North Carolina, said in a press release, adding that Lowe's was the only major supply store open in Boone several days after the devastating floods — thanks partly to more than a dozen Charlotte-area Lowe's associates and district leaders who arrived on the scene to help.
"With all the employees coming in from other stores, it's incredibly important that Lowe's be open for the community and that we also continue supporting our associates," Reynolds said.
More than 150 specially trained associates have left their home stores to support Helene recovery efforts, enabling Lowe's team members in impacted communities to be with their families as essentials like meals, water, and fuel are brought in.
And even more help is on the way after Hurricane Milton struck the Southeast less than two weeks after Helene left the region reeling. On Oct. 11, two days after Milton made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 storm, Lowe's announced it is donating another $10 million to support relief efforts. The company is also sending another 250-plus specially trained volunteer associates to Florida.
Why is Lowe's recovery response important?
With critical infrastructure like roads, bridges, and communications systems in disarray in the aftermath of Helene, Lowe's coordinated response has been a beacon of hope for communities without access to power or clean drinking water — which CNN reported on Oct. 5 has been in dangerously short supply as some water utility facilities suffered "unprecedented" damages.
Thanks to Lowe's, more than 40 donation store accounts are up and running to handle product donations, and store customers across the country can get in on the action by rounding up their transaction to the nearest dollar amount at checkout through Nov. 3. Donations will support relief efforts via the American Red Cross.
According to Lowe's, every cent is adding up. By Oct. 11, shoppers had donated more than $3 million, and the money will also help support people impacted by Milton.
How is Lowe's helping communities more broadly?
While the Hurricane Helene and Milton relief mobilization is the largest of its kind from Lowe's, the home improvement company is known for its ongoing partnerships to help communities heal after natural disasters like hurricanes, which have become more intense as global temperatures warm.
Lowe's created its Emergency Command Center over 30 years ago, following Hurricane Hugo, to ensure critical supplies like batteries, first aid kits, generators, and more would be available in hard-hit communities. The company has also handed out more than 70,000 cleanup kits since 2017.
At the end of the day, Lowe's relief efforts demonstrate how natural disasters don't get the final say — when businesses and individual leaders take initiative, communities can move closer to blossoming again.
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