As Tropical Storm Isaac continues to bear down on the coast, the world's largest retailer has created a command center in Northwest Arkansas.
"Part of what we do on a daily basis is communicate with the stores to find out what their needs are, find out what potential shortages could be, and then get those there as quickly as possible."
Walmart's Emergency Operations Center is up and running in Bentonville.
"Last week we started looking at what we had out in the field, making sure that they had bread and water and batteries, and of course when we get into the recovery phase it's generators and cleaning supplies." said Mark Cooper, Senior Director of the Emergency Management Department under the Global Security Aviation and Travel Division at Walmart.
After living in Louisiana during Hurricane Gustav, Cooper witnessed first-hand the impact his corporation has on surge-stricken communities.
"The Facebook chatter was, in addition to finding out what schools were going to close and what roads were open, how long was the Walmart going to be open so they could go and get their hurricane supplies."
Walmart officials are closely monitoring Isaac, making sure evacuees in areas like Shreveport or Monroe, Louisiana have the supplies they need.
"Every six hours we get a new update from the hurricane center so we're looking here, what did that change mean, so what do we have to do differently now," said Lucas McDonald, Senior Manager of Emergency Operations at Walmart.
McDonald is watching Isaac's ever-changing path, helping decide where essential items will be needed.
"What does that forecast mean for each individual store, so we know at what point the stores will have certain strength winds, what the peak winds will be, and when we can get back into that store after it's gone."
As the system moves through the states, sending supplies to employees and customers in affected areas is the top priority.
"Our goal is going to be to keep those stores and Sam's Clubs open as long as it's safe to do so... As the storm moves through we'll be going in and doing damage assessment to see how soon we can open those stores."
So until the calm after the storm, Walmart officials will be working long hours providing help.
"Whether it's here or internationally, we play a major role. We know we're important to those communities."
For a list of currently closed Walmart locations and for more information on the Tropical Storm operations, click here.
"Part of what we do on a daily basis is communicate with the stores to find out what their needs are, find out what potential shortages could be, and then get those there as quickly as possible."
Walmart's Emergency Operations Center is up and running in Bentonville.
"Last week we started looking at what we had out in the field, making sure that they had bread and water and batteries, and of course when we get into the recovery phase it's generators and cleaning supplies." said Mark Cooper, Senior Director of the Emergency Management Department under the Global Security Aviation and Travel Division at Walmart.
After living in Louisiana during Hurricane Gustav, Cooper witnessed first-hand the impact his corporation has on surge-stricken communities.
"The Facebook chatter was, in addition to finding out what schools were going to close and what roads were open, how long was the Walmart going to be open so they could go and get their hurricane supplies."
Walmart officials are closely monitoring Isaac, making sure evacuees in areas like Shreveport or Monroe, Louisiana have the supplies they need.
"Every six hours we get a new update from the hurricane center so we're looking here, what did that change mean, so what do we have to do differently now," said Lucas McDonald, Senior Manager of Emergency Operations at Walmart.
McDonald is watching Isaac's ever-changing path, helping decide where essential items will be needed.
"What does that forecast mean for each individual store, so we know at what point the stores will have certain strength winds, what the peak winds will be, and when we can get back into that store after it's gone."
As the system moves through the states, sending supplies to employees and customers in affected areas is the top priority.
"Our goal is going to be to keep those stores and Sam's Clubs open as long as it's safe to do so... As the storm moves through we'll be going in and doing damage assessment to see how soon we can open those stores."
So until the calm after the storm, Walmart officials will be working long hours providing help.
"Whether it's here or internationally, we play a major role. We know we're important to those communities."
For a list of currently closed Walmart locations and for more information on the Tropical Storm operations, click here.
