Hurricane Laura makes Landfall at Category 4
Hurricane Laura made landfall on August 26 as a category 4 storm with 150 miles per hour sustained winds; falling only 5 miles per hour short of a category 5. Laura tied the 1856 Last Island hurricane for the most powerful storm to make landfall in the state of Louisiana. Initial numbers show 59 fatalities and more than $8.9 billion worth of damage. Laura left 80 water systems completely inoperable leaving many in her path without clean drinking water, and destroyed entire power grids leaving over a million people without power. 'Laura' will definitely be listed as a retired name for future hurricane seasons.
A total of 7 Metal Marts were effected during Hurricane Laura.

Metal Mart #63 Little Rock, AR, MM #62 Pine Bluff, AR, and MM #58 Hooks, TX all closed on the 26th due to the dangerous conditions caused by the storm.
Metal Mart #73 Bossier City, LA closed due to high winds and heavy rain as well and reported minor water infiltration the next morning.
Metal Mart # 53 Monroe, LA closed for the day on the 26th, and at 2 pm on the 27th and 28th, not only due to stormy weather, but also because all power, phone lines, and internet services were down. There is still no phones or internet in Monroe, but the power was restored Sunday 30th.
Metal Mart #13 Vidor, TX closed on the 25th due to mandatory evacuations. Considering their close proximity to the coastal boarder of Texas and Louisiana, the 'mess' was minimal. Power was just restored on the 1st, but our dedicated team has been open and running as best they can since Monday. Temporary phone and internet connections are being set up to allow us to better help with repair orders that are stacking up in Vidor.
Lake Charles, LA has been all over the news with flashes of damage and widespread destruction. The eye of the hurricane passed right over the city and destroyed businesses, homes, and industrial complexes. Even bridges and chemical plants, structures that were designed to withstand hurricane force winds, bowed to Laura's powerful hit. We fully expected the Metal Mart store to be a total loss when everything was said and done.
However, we are very happy to announce that Metal Mart #42 at 124 1/2 Bunker Road, Lake Charles, Louisiana was miraculously still standing when Laura was gone. The roof on the back of the building was narrowly missed by a toppled tree, and there is of course debris and minor flood damage to clean up. Power is out city-wide, as well as phone and internet , but we have a building that is mostly untouched by Laura's wrath, meaning we can begin to supply material to Lake Charles and surrounding areas much sooner as the rebuilding phase begins. Clean up of our Lake Charles facility will continue the rest of the week, and we are hopeful to begin helping customers place orders by early next week. Announcements will be made on Facebook when the Lake Charles Metal Mart is ready to start serving all your metal rebuilding needs.
Our positive thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Hurricane Laura.
Like us on Facebook to see the most up-to-date information on all 45 stores!
Shortages, Delays, and Back Orders
When COVID and shelter-in-place orders first hit in the US, the steel industry expected demand to fall over the course of the pandemic. In a proactive manner, steel mills cut back on their production capacity early. Many in the building industry are starting to feel the strain of supply shortages and shipping delays as a result of the proactive decision to slow manufacturing. Metal Mart and our supply plants are working hard to keep up with the increased demand in our industry, however we have seen delays company wide on back-ordered items and material. We are aware of the issues and are working hard to fill all current back orders. We appreciate your business and understanding, will complete partial orders as soon as material is available through our vendors.
Metal Mart | metalmarts.com