DALLAS _ Grocery stores have had to go to extreme lengths to reopen stores and restock shelves with milk, bread and other essentials in the areas hit hard by Hurricane Harvey.
H-E-B flew in truck drivers by helicopter. Kroger filled up company buses with employees who traveled from other cities and states to work in Houston and coastal areas. And Wal-Mart tapped distribution centers as far away as North Carolina and New Mexico to bring in truckloads of bottled water and nonperishable food.
Officials from all three stores said they were studying weather patterns and getting ready to respond before the hurricane made its first landfall. Once the storm hit, they began to tackle on-the-ground challenges: bringing in enough inventory to restock bare shelves, helping truck drivers navigate roads with high water and finding employees in hard-hit areas to put items on shelves and check out customers.
The major retailers are pushing to get stores back in operation as rescue efforts continue and floodwaters begin to recede. Flooding, power outages and staff shortages had led to closures. And they're striving to meet the needs of people who've lost their homes, power and belongings.
"Grocery stores, we are right up there with first responders," Kroger spokeswoman Kristal Howard.
Hurricane evacuees have come to stores looking for water and nonperishable food, but also for underwear and socks. That's led to higher demand at Wal-Mart stores north of Houston, where people have stopped to shop while fleeing, company spokesman Ragan Dickens said.
"When you've lost everything, the fresh change of clothes becomes vitally important," he said.
At its peak, Wal-Mart had a total of 134 stores and distribution centers closed, Dickens said. The closures peaked on Tuesday morning. By early Thursday, only 21 facilities were still shuttered: 19 Wal-Mart stores, one Sam's Club and one distribution center, he said. The closed stores are predominately in Houston, Beaumont and Aransas Pass, where streets are flooded. The H-E-B store reopened Thursday in Rockport.
High demand for items _ and difficult logistics of bringing in supply _ has led to longer lines at some Wal-Mart stores. Some of the stores, which are relying on leaner staffs, are letting a limited number of people into the stores at a time to keep customers and employees safe, Dickens said.
Dickens, the Wal-Mart spokesman, said he expects high demand at Houston and coastal area stores over the coming weeks and months. Customers needed flashlights, water and nonperishable food to prepare for the storm and respond to it. Soon, he said, they'll need items like paper towels, wipes and disinfectants for the next phase: cleanup. And eventually, he said, they will need clothes, pillows and replacements for all other belongings that are lost or destroyed.
Wal-Mart has seen a spike in demand in Temple, College Station and other cities north of Houston where evacuees have stopped as they've fled.
In the past six days, Wal-Mart has sent 1,060 18-wheeler trucks to South Texas, Dickens said. Of those, 932 were full of bottled water.
San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B booked hotel rooms in the Houston area before the hurricane, so that out-of-town employees could work at local grocery stores after the storm ended, said Mabrie Jackson, H-E-B Central Market spokeswoman in Dallas. More than 100 employees from the San Antonio area are traveling to Houston and coastal area stores to work in stores.
