Updated 09/19/08
We just for an email from Sandra 'Mama' Himes, our Executive Coordinator of Operations with an update about our Houston and Sugar Land store hours!All of our Houston area stores, including our location in Sugar Land will be open 9am to 9pm on Saturday and Sunday. Next week, our store hours will be 8am to 9pm and after then, we will return to our regular hours.Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with us.
Updated 09/17/08
All Houston Stores will be Open TomorrowAs of 1:15 today, all of our Houston locations and our Sugar Land location have been restored with full city power and water. Our Bellaire store will open tomorrow and all of our locations will continue operating with limited hours. Specific hours are still variable due to low stock and shorthanded staff, but we will let you know once we have been restored to regular hours.Ice, Wifi and Cell Phone Charging Available at Whole Foods in Central OhioBetween 8 and 9 p.m. Tuesday, both Whole Foods locations, Lane Avenue in Upper Arlington and one in Dublin on Sawmill Road, will be giving away free ice to anyone who needs it. There is a maximum of 50 pounds per customer. Ice also will be available around 10 a.m. Wednesday. Plus, Whole Foods Market in Dublin has outlets to charge cell phones and free WIFI.Read more about power outages in Central Ohio opens in a new tab.We will continue to provide new updates at they come in!
Updated 09/16/08
Our team members have been incredible throughout this entire ordeal, working hard on behalf of the community, despite the personal hardships they have endured over the past few days. We'd like to offer our heartfelt thanks for their efforts during this difficult time.
Initial estimates of the damage caused by Ike top 22 billion dollars, making it the third costliest storm on record in the United States. Curfew in the city of Houston is in effect until Friday and our stores will continue operating limited hours until further notice.
Here's the latest info from our Houston area stores:
KirbyOpen with city power and water.
WilcrestOpen with city power and water.
Sugar LandOpen with city power and water.
WoodwayOpens today at noon. Generator powered and has water.
BellaireThis location is still without power and Bellaire Team Members have been sent to help out at our other four stores, which are still short handed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks to everyone who has sent well wishes for those of us who were in the path of Hurricane Ike. Wanted to give you an update on what's going on from the perspective of our stores.
Throughout Houston, many of the roads are impassible due to downed power lines and trees. Access to gas is extremely challenging since only a handful of stations have power to operate their pumps.
So far, we've been able to open three of our five stores for very limited pockets of time. Among the hundreds of grocery stores in Houston, these three stores are part of about 20 grocery stores city-wide that have been able to reopen at all.
Ice is the primary need. We are bringing in about five trucks of ice a day. Each store gets about 30 pallets and we sell through this in a few hours.
Here's a rundown on our specific stores:
Note: We are not publishing store hours here because they vary depending on the city curfew as well as the supply of ice and non-perishables available.
KirbyWe have power but no water. We can only sell non-perishables, fruit and milk.
WilcrestWe have power but no water. Selling non-perishables only.
Sugar LandWe are fully powered and have water. Over the next 2-3 days, we will be fully functional in this store.
WoodwayThis store is still closed due to lack of power and water. Hope to have a generator connected soon.
BellaireThis store is still closed due to lack of power and water. We are hoping to restore power to this location soon.
Thanks to all of our team members who are working so hard to get these stores open so we can meet the needs of the community. Most of our team members are living without power and water just like everyone else. It is also challenging for them to get to the stores with roads impassable and gas hard to find. We thank everyone for their patience as we all work through this crisis together.
We will keep you updated with more information as it comes in.
