Wal-Mart to the Rescue

Here is something you will never hear from the national media... 'Wal-Mart
is better at responding to emergencies than the Federal Government'.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast there was a lot of harsh
comments about how long it took FEMA (Federal Emergency Management
Agency) to respond. Some comments say it was a week before FEMA even
showed up in Louisiana and Mississippi. Wal-Mart was on the scene within
48 hours with its own fleet of trucks to bring water, blankets, clothing, and
other essentials to the hurricane victims. I know this because I am a member
of the Wal-Mart Private Fleet of trucks. Two and three truck convoys went
to W/M stores (or where the store had been) in Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Alabama. The doors of the trailers were opened up and the merchandise was
handed out without charge. Never heard that on the nightly news, huh?
More recently, when Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast I did remember to
take my Kodak with me to record the event. Wal-Mart dedicated over 400
trucks to the upper coast of Texas and all of Louisiana. We were massed
at Reliant Stadium in Houston and then dispatched in groups of two trucks
to various places that needed assistance. I took water and MRE's (Meals,
Ready to Eat) to the city of Splendora. The people there had been without
water and electrical power for over 36 hours. I got a police escort to the
city hall where a crowd of over 500 people were waiting. They broke out
in cheers when they saw the Wal-Mart truck coming.(There is NO Wal-Mart store in Splendora) We lined up the trucks so that townspeople could drive by and get water, ice, and MRE's without getting out of their cars. Firemen, high school footballers, and others pitched in to help out. It took nearly 24 hours to empty out the trucks and I told the townspeople that more trucks were on the way. It was really a heart tugging experience...but one that probably would have put a smile on the face of Sam Walton. The photos prove my point...but I will bet you never saw anything like this on TV....