Lowe’s Cos. Inc. began the cleanup process Tuesday, assessing damaged stores and locating employees _ many of whom evacuated before Hurricane Gustav made landfall Monday.
The home improvement chain said 29 stores in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas were closed Tuesday as teams of workers assessed the damage inside.
Some of the stores, which closed because of mandatory evacuations in the area, would reopen later in the day, said Chris Ahern, a spokeswoman for the Mooresville, N.C.-based home improvement chain.
“We’re just trying to get into the stores to check out the situation and get them open as quickly as possible,” said Ahern.
Meanwhile, dozens of trucks full of supplies that had been stationed in the region were moving along highways Tuesday morning, bringing extra supplies of tarps, roofing supplies cleanup products and other material to the region as the massive cleanup begins.
