Hurricane Nicole Causes Only Minor Damage at Florida Exchanges
Most Florida Exchanges escaped major damage from Hurricane Nicole, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall in the state.
The storm made landfall about 50 miles south of Patrick Air Force Base early Thursday.
“As of now, there is no reported damage to any Exchange facility,” Tony Pares, South East Region Vice President, said during a Disaster Support Group meeting at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
At the time, the status of the Patrick Space Force Base store was unknown, although Pares said that there were reports of power outages and downed trees. AIA, the main highway into the base, was badly flooded, Pares added.
But by early afternoon, Nicholas Nguyen, general manager over Patrick and the other affected stores, said that he was able to inspect the Patrick BX and found only minimal damage.
“One of the fences got blown off the hinge, but nothing significant,” Nguyen said. Some associates were still without power at home, he added. Patrick and Cape Canaveral were both given an “all clear” by local commands.
This blown-down fence was the most significant damage at the Patrick Space Force Base Exchange during Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nicole.
Exchange stores at Patrick, Cape Canaveral, Homestead and SOUTHCOM were closed Thursday. Homestead and SOUTHCOM will also be closed Friday for Veterans Day. The MacDill Air Force Base Exchange, on the Gulf Coast, delayed its opening to noon ET because of continued wind gusts and rain Thursday morning.
“There are no damages to our facility at MacDill, other than some roof leaks from fallen tile,” Nguyen said during the DSG meeting. “But nothing major. Some neighborhoods outside the main gates lost power but it was quickly restored.”
The Shades of Green store at Walt Disney World reported business as usual. Merchandising and logistics teams were ready to provide support in Florida, but as of Thursday morning no additional support had been requested. No significant impacts to fuel supply or transportation were expected.
Tropical storm conditions continued Thursday along the Atlantic coast of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, but no major effects were expected for PXs and BXs outside of Florida. Tropical storm conditions were also expected to affect Florida’s Gulf Coast and Panhandle. Storm surge and heavy rainfall were the biggest concerns, but storm surge was not expected to affect any Exchanges.
