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 flashlights 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 from 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 at 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, which sells industrial and construction supplies from 22 locations in Florida. Devine covers the Southeast portion of the United States, and was at the forefront of Grainger's pre- and post-hurricane activity.

No local Grainger 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 other parts of Florida and other states got the branches up and running immediately after the storms.

The most demanded products in the days immediately following both storms were generators, chain saws, flashlights, batteries, tarps, gas cans and mosquito repellent, Devine said.

In addition to what customers were coming in for, Grainger gathered extra supplies for a donation to The American Red Cross. The more than $1 million donation came in the form of tarps, flashlights, batteries and other items.

"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."

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.