Newton, Mass.—With damage from hurricanes Charley and Frances possibly reaching $14 billion, many Florida distributors expect to be busy for the remainder of the year and much into 2005. The storms ripped through Florida within weeks of each other, leaving many homes and businesses in shambles.

Distributors were called upon from the outset, selling generators, gas cans, tarps and other items in preparation for the storm, and supplying hard hats, safety supplies, wet-dry vacs and the like as the recovery and cleanup process began. As contractors begin to re-build, local distributors expect to be on the front lines again, selling everything from fasteners to power tools to help the state recover from the recent disasters.

Risk Management Solutions, Inc., which monitors and estimates damage for hurricanes and other natural disasters, says insured losses from Hurricane Frances could range from $3 billion to $6 billion, which is less than the losses expected from Charley, estimated between $6 billion and $8 billion.

"We're going to do whatever we need to do to support our customers," said Parris Devine, regional branch services vice president for W.W. Grainger. Devine covers the Southeast portion of the United States, and was at the forefront of Grainger's pre- and post-hurricane activity. "We're there for them 24/7 under normal conditions…so we're going to do whatever it takes to support [the affected areas] for as long as needed."

A large distributor with 22 branches in Florida, Grainger re-deployed product and people to deal with the storm. No local employees were hurt during either hurricane, but many sustained damage to their homes and were without power for days. Those employees were asked to stay home to secure their property and families, while teams of employees from several parts of Florida and other states got the branches up and running immediately after the storms.

Crews from Miami, Jacksonville and Tallahassee stepped in to help out following Charley, getting branches in Ft. Myers, Sarasota and Orlando up and running. The latter three locations saw the most activity after Charley, as they were in close proximity to the affected areas. The company sent 40 trailers of product to support those branches, Devine said. The most demanded items in the days immediately following both storms were generators, chain saws, flashlights, batteries, tarps, gas cans and mosquito repellent, he added.

In addition to what customers were coming in for, Grainger gathered extra supplies for a donation to The American Red Cross. As of late September, Grainger had given more than $1 million worth of supplies to the organization.

"These are the communities that we do business in," said Devine. "This is what we do day in and day out to keep their businesses up and running. It's times like this when we really take it to the next level."

Devine said it was inspiring to see employees come together from across the state and around the country to help out in Florida. In the days leading up to Hurricane Frances—which swept up the east coast of Florida just three weeks after Charley pounded the west coast—Devine said employees from across the country were volunteering to travel to Florida to support the local employees. The company saw the same outpouring of help as Hurricane Ivan loomed in the Atlantic, just days after Frances swept through.

Bill Young, president of Industrial Tapes & Adhesives, a small distributor based in Tampa, had similar sentiments. Though his company was unscathed by Charley, he said he heard countless stories from customers who were letting employees take time off from work to help with clean-up and recovery efforts. Many employees volunteered to bring water, toiletries, clothing and other items to people left homeless by the storm.

"I just felt good hearing that," Young said. "We were very lucky here—at someone else's expense, unfortunately."

Orlando-based Hughes Supply helped in the aftermath of Hurricane Charley as well, donating $100,000 to disaster relief efforts. The company gave $25,000 each to The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, and $50,000 to the Hughes Supply Foundation. All monies are earmarked to assist in the rebuilding and recovery efforts in Florida. Hughes Supply is one of the country's largest distributors, selling construction and MRO products from 500 locations in 38 states.

One of the first things a community does to clean up after a hurricane is clear away the trees and branches that are strewn across roads and highways. Pirtek, a hose and assembly manufacturer with locations in Orlando and Clearwater, Fla., sent its mobile vans to help with those efforts following the Florida storms, repairing hydraulic hoses and supplying replacement hoses on tree trimming and grinding equipment.

Pirtek's mobile van service is like a mini-workshop, with hoses, fittings, adaptors, a crimping machine—everything needed to make emergency, after-hours repairs.

Pirtek public relations coordinator Wendy Yanis said the company got calls for service immediately after the storms hit, and was busy making spare hoses in anticipation of local needs. The first calls were for service in Punta Gorda, the area hit hardest by Hurricane Charley.

"On Saturday [Aug. 14], we sent two of our mobile vans to Punta Gorda in response to service calls," said Bob Ruhl, operations manager at Pirtek Clearwater. "Our technicians were there from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m., helping with the crisis situation and working on tree trimming equipment."

Grainger's Devine says his branches were in a similar situation, working extended hours and stocking up on the things they knew customers would need most. He says generators were most in demand—and the most difficult thing to come by. Grainger's suppliers did a good job of getting them the needed generators, he said, but the company also had to pull product from locations in the Northeast and Midwest to meet demand. Gas cans were also a big seller, Devine said. At one point, Grainger shipped extra gas cans from California to its Jacksonville, Fla., distribution center so its branches would have enough on hand.

Through it all, Devine said one of the most difficult problems was figuring out where the products would be needed, since the path of a hurricane often changes. That was the case with Charley, which threatened to hit Tampa, then turned west, surprising residents in the Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte areas.

For many distributors, just making it through the storms was challenge enough.

Craig Faber, president of Miller Bearings and Motion Systems in Orlando, was relieved to be relatively unscathed after Charley and Frances hit—but was watching reports about the impending arrival of Hurricane Ivan.

"I've lived here since 1969 and have never experienced anything like this," Faber said. "But [Miller] has come through it in reasonably good shape. But we're worried about some of our employees."

While Miller's Florida locations suffered some damage, many of his workers saw their homes damaged quite a bit more, Faber said. Several days after Frances left the area, some were still without electricity. Frances also lasted longer and carried far more rain than Charley.

"There was more damage to the inside of homes with such prolonged periods of rain," he explained. Frances lasted from 24 to 36 hours, so "there's a longer recuperation period needed, especially along the coast."

Damage at Miller warehouses in Ft. Pierce and West Palm Beach saw some awnings blown off as well as a carport destroyed. Beyond that, Faber said they were fortunate, as no leakage or flooding was reported.

As a Florida resident, Faber is concerned about the sustained economic impact on his state.

"It has been such a disruption of life here," he said. "It's something I've not seen before."

— Associate Editor Joe Nowlan contributed to this report.