Ensuring supplies: Home Depot’s behind-the-scenes efforts during Tropical Storm Debby

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Home Depot has activated its emergency command center to track Tropical Storm Debby and ensure stores in the impacted areas are fully stocked with supplies.

“It’s a massive coordinated effort,” said Jeff Partin, Director of Home Depot’s Emergency Preparedness, regarding the retailer’s response to the storm.

At the Home Depot headquarters on Paces Ferry Road in Cobb County, 100 employees are working out of two rooms to follow the storm’s every move and send supplies to affected regions.

Partin told Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell that they monitor weather forecasts and their potential impact on Home Depot properties.

“We know exactly how a weather forecast interacts with our properties,” he said.

Home Depot is using interactive mapping programs, similar to those found in county and state emergency operation centers, to inform their next steps.

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“Their primary concern in this room is to ensure that supplies are introduced into the impacted areas,” Partin said.

In the Georgia coastal and Carolina areas most affected by Tropical Storm Debby, Home Depot has more than 20 stores.

Partin noted the real concern is the potential for rain and flooding rather than the wind associated with the system.

“The primary concern here is not the wind associated with the system but rather the potential for rain and flood in the Georgia coastal Carolina area,” he said.

Currently, all stores in the impacted zones remain operational with no immediate plans for closure.

The decision to close stores, if needed, will be determined on a case-by-case basis with the safety of associates being the top priority.

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