Winter Storm Update: Central Region Remains Resilient

Exchange stores are recovering after a powerful winter storm devastated Texas and parts of Oklahoma and Louisiana. Most locations remained open.

The winter storm, the first of its kind in 100 years, caused waterlines to burst at Headquarters, which knocked computers offline and damaged equipment on the first two floors, forcing the building to close for the week of Feb. 15. The storm also hindered operations in the Central Region.

At Barksdale Air Force Base, the BX faced a water emergency shortly after the storm hit and water mains burst at the installation. Associates the Waco Distribution Center hurried on Feb. 17 to load water onto a trailer, even though the winter storm had forced the DC to close.

“We had a handful of associates lend a hand to help get Barksdale the water it needed,” Waco DC Manager Preston Huddy said. “A lot of our associates lost power at their homes and had significant damage from burst pipes, but they still came in to help out our stores.”

Contractor Timothy O’Keefe then drove the 220 miles from Waco to Barksdale in Louisiana to deliver 18 pallets of water. What would normally take 4 1/2 hours turned into a 16-hour journey thanks to roads that were completely iced over but still thick with traffic.

The water was delivered at 3 p.m. Friday, said Barksdale Exchange General Manager Ellen Henderson.

While the installation shut down for the week, the Exchange never closed, even if stores were staffed by only two- or three-person crews.

The BX suffered some damage in the Outdoor Living area when a canopy collapsed, Henderson said.

“Every day we had a steady line of traffic into the stores,” Henderson said. “It was rough, but we remained open and were able to serve our Airmen and their families.”

Fort Hood

Fort Hood also faced a water shortage as several pipes burst at the installation, leading to more than 1,000 water leaks for maintenance.

The installation normally goes through 1 million to 2 million gallons of water a day and at their peak, there were 8 million to 9 million gallons being lost due to leaks.

Associates at the Waco DC helped delivered 16 pallets of water to the Main Store and Express location during the week.

“The installation was hit hard by the ice storm, but we were fortunate most of our facilities did not sustain any major damage,” Fort Hood Exchange General Manager Chris Haefner said.

All but two Exchange facilities remained open last week, even if some operated under shortened hours. The Warrior Way Express was damaged by a water leak and had to close for a few days. The Clear Creek Express also had to close for a few days because conditions made it too dangerous for associates to drive to work.

Both have reopened.

In addition, the 37^th Street Express lost product when a freezer lost power, the 37^th Street Jack in the Box had power outages and lost product, and the 67^th Street Domino’s Pizza sustained water damage.

During the storm, the III Corps Express remained open 24 hours and “didn’t miss a beat,” Haefner said.

“For the first three days it was the only thing open on the installation and was the only place Soldiers could get water, food and items of necessity,” Haefner said. “Our III Corps team and all our associates on Fort Hood are true heroes.”

Altus Air Force Base

The BX at the Oklahoma installation remained open despite burst pipes that caused flooding.

Crews worked quickly to repair the damage after a sprinkler head burst, which caused a massive leak on the sales floor, break room and back office. Some freezer product at the Shoppette also was lost.

“We’re a resilient bunch, and we were able to get things under control so we could continue to serve our shoppers,” said Altus Exchange General Manager Don Walter. “We’ve been through a lot, but everyone is in good spirits.”

Fort Sill

Pipes burst in the Military Clothing Store receiving area, but no merchandise was damaged, Walter said. However, phone lines and some computer equipment were damaged and will need to be replaced.

The storm also knocked out heat to the Quarry Hill Troop Store.

Fort Sam Houston

Burst pipes damaged some facilities, including the main store, but it happened in a mechanized area and didn’t impact the store. Mission-essential services remained open, including the Camp Bullis Shoppette, Walters Shoppette, and the Mini Mall Troop Store.

Tinker Air Force Base

Some Exchange facilities were temporarily closed during the storm but gradually reopened, even as the installation was closed for the week.

Pipes burst in two places at the Express II Shoppette, Tinker Exchange General Manager Charles Eaves said. Pipes also burst at Burger King but were quickly repaired, Eaves said.

Shoppette I was the first facility to reopen on Feb. 17, Eaves said, but all facilities had reopened as of Feb. 22.

“Throughout all of it, we had a steady stream of shoppers who were really appreciative that the Exchange was open,” Eaves said. “All of our team members were glad to be back to work.”

Other facilities

Camp Mabry in Austin had water damage and was still being assessed as of Feb. 23, Camp Mabry Exchange General Manager Eddie Devlin said. In addition, the Ellington Air Force Base Exchange had some water damage.