Hurricanes are an inevitable threat each year for convenience stores on the coast, and it’s key for retailers to have a plan in place for fuel supply, employee safety and more when natural disasters strike.
SunStop, a convenience-store chain of about 80 locations in Georgia, Florida and Alabama owned by Southwest Georgia Oil Co., Bainbridge, Georgia, loads up on as much fuel as possible to support the demand of the community ahead of a storm.
“Whenever we have notice of a storm, it may be five, seven days in advance, we try to start dropping some additional loads of fuel in that vault plant so that we have some backup supply,” said Glennie Bench, president of Southwest Georgia Oil Co.
Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, made landfall on Sept. 26 along the Florida Gulf Coast. Two weeks later, on Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida’s Western coast as a Category 3 storm, according to the National Weather Service.
SunStop did everything it could to keep customers supplied with fuel, water and other necessities during the storms.
Read on to discover strategies that c-stores can utilize to prepare for and react to emergency weather.
SunStop stores send Davie Worrell, director of retail field operations, fuel level statuses prior to and during hurricanes, and he develops a priority list to decide which locations get deliveries, Bench said.
“It helps that we have our own trucks that service stores,” she said. “We don't rely on a common carrier, so it allows us some flexibility that maybe other chains don't have.”
The chain has numerous fuel terminals to pull from, which helps when certain terminals are closed during storms. It also has bulk storage at two of its home offices in Alabama and Georgia.
Hurricanes limit fuel supplies in Florida because the state does not have refineries or gasoline pipelines connecting it to other states with excess supply, said the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Florida relies on gasoline delivered by ship from domestic and international sources.
The hurricanes and accompanying rain, winds and flooding disrupted key gasoline supply chains to the state, leaving hundreds of retail gas stations without fuel, according to GasBuddy.
On Oct. 8, nearly 16% of gas stations in Florida were out of gasoline, according to GasBuddy. That number rose to almost 30% on Oct. 11 and was back down to 11% on Oct. 17.
Test necessities such as network connectivity, fuel pricing and logistics to ensure they function before disaster strikes, Alpharetta, Georgia-based PDI Technologies said in a disaster
The convenience-store tech company recommends creating an emergency plan; determining how to notify employees and customers of emergency; maintaining reliable backups for critical power sources, equipment and supplies; and ensuring that the business plan accounts for becoming operational as quickly as possible.
“We make sure that everybody understands that the safety of our staff and our customers is first and foremost.” –Glennie Bench, Southwest Georgia Oil Co.
In some cases, SunStop had to transfer fuel and merchandise from one store to another because a particular location got wiped out, Bench said.
When the entire southern half of the state was evacuating during Hurricane Milton, stores were impacted by the surge of traffic heading north. Therefore, supply deliveries had to be made more frequently, she said.
Florida’s average gas price in October was $3.04, compared to $3.47 six months prior and $3.31 a year prior, according to EIA. It has stayed relatively stable in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, said EIA.
Many convenience stores responded to damage and risk in communities across Florida and Georgia.
Wawa, Pennsylvania-based Wawa, a chain of 1,070 stores, provided free coffee and fountain drinks to all first responders, National Guard and emergency responders in Florida to support preparation and response to Hurricane Helene.
The convenience-store chain also donated $500,000 to the Florida Disaster Fund to support the state of Florida’s private fund established to provide financial assistance to communities as they respond to and recover from times of emergency or disaster.
Wawa and The Wawa Foundation also partnered with the American Red Cross, and customers could contribute to Hurricane Milton relief by adding $1, $3 or $5 to their Wawa purchase at checkout. The Wawa Foundation matched the first $100,000 in customer contributions to the campaign.
Pilot, Knoxville, Tennessee, partnered with the American Red Cross as well for a round-up campaign.
Weigel’s Fuel Aid for Hurricane Victims, Newport, Tennessee, donated 8,200 gallons of diesel and unleaded fuel across Easten Tennessee and North Carolina to assist in recovery efforts.
Minuteman Food Mart, Elizabethtown, North Carolina, donated supplies to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and Bladen County Sheriff's Department.
Twelve of SunStop’s stores in Florida, locations that have frequent power outages due to storms, have permanent generators. That allows stores to stay open for longer.
“We take great pride in being able to be open when maybe other chains cannot because of our generator status or just because of our commitment to that community,” Bench said.
In deciding whether to close a store, local public officials sometimes set guidelines, and if it's not being controlled by local officials, SunStop’s local district or division manager guides the decision in conjunction with the manager.
“We make sure that everybody understands that the safety of our staff and our customers is first and foremost, and so there may be times when a storm worsens more quickly or they're safer to stay at the store than to get on the road,” Bench said.
The chain also has several portable generators, and they decide in advance where to stage them. Sometimes, locations with a large refrigerator inventory dictate where a portable generator is placed.
SunStop makes sure that stores stock up on items that customers want, like cases of water, Bench said.
“If it's refrigerated merchandise, we just have to deal with that as it comes,” she said. “If the power goes out, and the merchandise is ruined because it wasn't at the proper temperature, that's just part of the business.”
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