Hurricane Whips Up Huge Demand & Damages

T HE

DEVASTATION of Hurri-

I cane Hugo has area dealers struggling to meet the demands of owners of damaged homes despite heavy damages of their own.

The hurricane's Sept. 2l attack on the Carolinas hit Shaw Lumber Co., Sumter. S.C.. with about $1.2 million in damages, claiming 350/o of its inventory and 7 50/o of its warehouse space. "lt's a nightmare," they said, explaining rebuilding will take at least six months.

Few businesses, though, were not affected.

o Bull's Bay Supply, McClellanville, S.C.: "We're totally wiped out," said Debbie Thames. "We flooded with six feet of water in the showroom. The wind took all our lumber sheds and storage buildings. True Value sent us two tractor trailers to operate out of. Bit by bit we're putting it back together. The four walls stood, so we'll probably try to shovel out the mud and rebuild."

. G.S. Carter & Sons, Charleston, S.C.: "We had $360,000 to $370,000 in building damages, not counting all the lost inventory," said Jim Steffel. "lt blew out the back end of our main building, our secondary building across the street, the storage and resaw sheds, all our treated storage, and the front windows in our showroom."

. Coastal Lumber & Plywood Co., Charleston: "We had five pole sheds and it blew them about into the next state," said Jerry Robinson. "Maybe 5% of the buildings in the city weren't affected in some way (by Hugo). All I've done for two weeks is go and check jobsites. A lot of different products will be used, because qne building will be 50 years old and the next six months old."

o Buck Building Supply, Charleston: "Normally, we're mostly a contractor business," said Stacy Hardee.

Story at a Glance

Hurricane Hugo's assault on the Carolinas guarantees heavy demand at area lumber yards and home centers into 1990. most companies also busy re pairing damages of their own.

"But since the hurricane, our cash business has tripled. Half our sheds were blown away, so half our materials are messed up. Our suppliers are also messed up, so we're having to find new ones. Nobody knows what they're doing.

"There was a lot of looting after the hurricane. With the sheds gone, lumber was flying everywhere. So people came and took as much as they could carry off. But what they took probably wasn't any good after the rain anyway."

o Lowe's - University Center, Charleston: "Anything that was in the yard was really tossed around," Jay Hicks said. "But the biggest problem was electricity. Everything was just shut down. It took two weeks for some people to get their electricity back." o Builderama, Charleston: "We've been swamped," said Dan Heintz. "And we'll feel the effects of this for at least six months, with people repairing yards and so on through the spring. o Hughes Lumber & Building Supply Co., Charleston: "The roofs blew off the sheds and the warehouse and lumber got wet, but we've been so busy we haven't had time to check our own losses." said Cameron Burn. "We just covered up the roof and went to work.

"We closed two days and were open four days without power. Three ofthose days we had a generator, but one day we walked around with flashlights. Everything was flooded, and we'd bring people in up to the front counter, get their order, wade back to get it, and hand write the purchase."

"Prior to the storm, everyone needed plywood. The day after, people came in for polyethylene, pumps, plywood, roofing and generators. But at least now the sun's shining. People are starting to feel a little bit better. When you don't have electricity, it's tough. But one by one, the lights are coming back on."

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