Disaster Cleanup: Retail Client, Oklahoma

The Results

DWM worked together with their client to minimize the costs and meet the requirements of the lease. We were able to remove and dispose of the internal debris without further structural damage and at minimal cost. Most importantly, we were able to complete all the work safely.

The Challenge

Most days the requests made by stores are similar. Toilets are clogged. A fixture needs repairing. A tile has been broken. There are the weekly odd requests and emergency situations that cause concern and require extra attention. But on rare days, catastrophe strikes and emergency takes on a new meaning. Such was the case on May 24 in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

One of our clients had a retail location in Chickasha. But on May 24, a tornado took it away. Product was destroyed. The building was damaged. The store was a complete disaster. After the tornado, staff and buyers returned to the Chickasha store to evaluate how quickly the location could get up and running again. However, once they started working in the unit, it was apparent that the building was not safe.

This client has a unique position in the marketplace because it offers all products at a single price-point. Because of this, low cost is always paramount when making maintenance decisions. The corporate office decided to cut its losses. The store was to be abandoned. However, as a component of their lease, the client had to clean up and remove all the internal damage. That's when DWM was contacted.

The Solution

Once we heard about the destruction, we decided we would need to bring in a vendor who was used to handling large projects like this. It was a dangerous assignment. The internal damage needed to be removed without causing additional damage to the already compromised structure of the building. It would need to be someone with the experience, equipment, and labor required to empty the store quickly, efficiently, and safely. Additionally, we would not only need to remove the damage but, due to the scope of the damage in central Oklahoma, haul it to a location further away.

We dispatched a project manager from Texas to go to the location and survey the damage. Once there, he reported the extent of the damage back to us, and we worked with him to develop a full plan of action. We relayed his report, along with our plan, to our client's corporate location.