Home Depot aids employees affected by Gustav

As Hurricane Gustav’s wind and rain buffeted the Gulf Coast, Atlanta-based Home Depot was ready with financial aid to 650 associates and 300 truckloads of clean-up supplies.

Initially, the world’s largest home improvement retailer closed 31 stores, but by Tuesday afternoon, 19 had reopened.

Trucks stocked with tarps, gloves, wet-dry vacuum cleaners, bleach and batteries were waiting to replenish stores in areas struck by the Category 3 hurricane.

The retailer also moved more than 100 loads of generators (by contrast: the retailer had moved 50 truckloads for Hurricane Katrina).

Meanwhile, Home Depot’s Homer Fund set up a hotline to help associates who had to evacuate.

Kelly Caffarelli, president of the Home Depot Foundation, said that by Tuesday they had given out $500,000 to 650 employees to help them with unexpected gas, hotel and food costs as a result of the mandatory evacuation in New Orleans and along the coast. The maximum grant is $5,000, but she said grants for the storm were averaging $1,000. About 150,000 store associates have built the fund by giving small amounts. The grants are only for Home Depot associates.

“It’s an amazing statement about living our values, about taking care of one another,” said Caffarelli. “It’s a Band-Aid to get through emergencies,” she said.