900 WAL-MARTS on list as storm closures start.
At Wal-Mart Stores Inc. headquarters in Bentonville, company officials said Monday that more than 900 stores likely will be affected by Hurricane Sandy as it strikes the East Coast and moves inland.
Employees staffing the emergency response center for the nation’s largest retailer are fielding calls from stores across the nation, as well as from employees affected by the hurricane, Elizabeth Carr, manager of associate relations, said at a media briefing.
Sandy’s storm surge isn’t expected to damage any of Wal-Mart’s stores or distribution centers, but the expected high winds and heavy rainfall, along with power failures, are another matter. As of 2:35 p.m. Monday, 143 of the company’s stores in 10 states, from North Carolina to New Hampshire, were closed because of the hurricane.
Carr said the response center was providing information and assistance to employees who needed food, clothing and, in some cases, shelter. As many as 250,000 Wal-Mart employees could be affected by the storm, she said.
Ahead of the storm, the company positioned storm-recover essentials such as water, batteries, generators and clean-up supplies, said Dan Fogleman, a Wal-Mart spokesman.
Dry ice was shipped in an attempt to preserve refrigerated foods.
“In some cases, you lose product,” Fogleman said. “If it’s not fit for sale, we’re not going to sell it.”
Lucas McDonald, a meteorologist and member of the company’s emergency management team, said his focus was pulling together all the key responders and making sure the company was meeting the needs of its employees.
About 80 staff members were assigned to the response center as of Monday.