By John Nolan
Dayton Daily News
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
DAYTON — A Wal-Mart executive who oversees the company's plans for coping with emergencies told Red Cross and government officials Monday that the retailer can work with them to help communities recover from disasters.
Wal-Mart wants to respond to the needs of its employees and customers in areas damaged by floods, fires or tornadoes, but also has a vested interest in helping local authorities to help their communities recover, said Bryan W. Koon, Wal-Mart's senior operations manager for emergency management.
"Our goals are the same as theirs are: We want to get these communities back up on their feet. Otherwise, there's no point in having a Wal-Mart there," Koon said during a meeting with Montgomery County emergency management officials.
Smaller retailers can also help by building relationships with local authorities to share information and coordinate responses when emergencies arise, Koon said.
During his Dayton stop on Monday, Koon also met with local Red Cross officials before going to Columbus to meet with Ohio emergency management officials. He planned similar meetings Tuesday with Indiana emergency management officials and on Wednesday with Tennessee state authorities.
"It's always good to know what resources the community has and can bring to bear if there are disasters," said Jeff Kursman, a spokesman for Dayton's Red Cross chapter.
Wal-Mart, and other large companies with their own emergency management departments, can help public officials during emergencies with corporate expertise in moving merchandise and communicating with local store managers, Koon said.
Wal-Mart has worked with local authorities to ship in bottled water, blankets, flashlights, chain saws and other essential merchandise for coping with emergencies. It donates some of these materials and makes its store parking lots available to local authorities as staging areas for coordinating responses, he said.
After hurricanes Katrina and Rita hammered the Gulf Coast in 2005, Wal-Mart was one of the corporate citizens which responded with help. The retailer shipped 2,500 truckloads of emergency supplies into the storm-damaged areas, Koon said.
When the new Wal-Mart Supercenter opened in Columbia earlier this fall, it provided job opportunities for more than 200 people...
