Wildfires, hurricanes, snowstorms: Establishing a plan, knowing the protocol and communicating the details sets the stage for operational success when dealing with these and similar situations.

Operators are more likely to have a plan for how to handle a crisis than ever before, says Ned Bowman, executive director at the Florida Petroleum Marketers Association (FPMA). “There has been a progression of members being more proactive. In Florida, 90% of the c-stores now have a plan.”

Peak hurricane season in the state generally runs from late August into October. FPMA prompts its members to get ready well in advance with an annual call with meteorologists. That call offers a glimpse of what the experts are seeing and outlines projections for the upcoming hurricane season.

The number one concern is always the health and safety of employees, Bowman said. Operators must consider not only safety concerns for when a storm hits but plan for employee-related problems that can impact labor levels after the storm. In Florida, often the biggest impact on a business is the flooding afterward, Bowman said. “It’s the after effect, and that extends to employees, who may have had severe damage to their houses. People think convenience stores will reopen right away after a big storm, but that’s not often how it works, particularly if staff cannot return to work.”

During Hurricane Ian in September 2022, some convenience stores paid double wages to those who stayed and worked, Bowman said. “A lot of variables keep employees there,” he said. “Do they have elderly parents that might not be able to evacuate? Do they need to board up their house? It’s a balancing act of what to do.”

Across the board, all three crisis-savvy operators NACS spoke to for this story—Redwood Oil, Casey’s and RaceTrac—emphasized that employee safety comes first. Each company has a slightly different approach to preparing and operating during a natural disaster, but all approaches have two things in common: an intentional, well-defined idea of how to handle operations, and the flexibility for on-site personnel to adjust the plan and make decisions in the moment.

Modify the plan as needed, but if you don’t have a plan going in, you have nothing to start with.”

Redwood Oil

Thinking about what may happen ahead of time is critical, said Lionel Vincenti, vice president of operations and marketing for Redwood Oil, a mostly Chevron-branded operator in California. “Thinking about every ‘what if’ with those who have been through it before and can anticipate things is critical. Brainstorm with as many people as possible who can offer knowledge from different angles.”

Redwood Oil has been through numerous wildfires. In fact, when Vincenti joined the company five years ago, it was in the midst of enduring widespread wildfires in its area of operation.

“Many people had to evacuate the area. Some stores were not accessible because streets were closed,” he recalled. Things can quickly escalate in this scenario, he noted. Sometimes customers panic about purchasing gasoline, which may require an employee to manage lines of cars and potentially frustrated customers.

Sometimes the retailer has to juggle different approaches at the same time. For example, during one wildfire, a Redwood Oil store remained open to serve its normal customer base (only part of the town was evacuated), while at the same time the store essentially hosted firefighters. “The fire crew set up base camp right behind the store and used us as a food box,” Vincenti said. “We have full kitchens and cook from scratch and were able to provide them with basic necessities.”

While it is difficult to prepare for every unique situation, Redwood Oil has an emergency kit for store managers. When the need arises, the kit includes both provisions and guidance. It contains a checklist of what to do both inside and outside the store. It is also stocked with N95 masks and other essentials. In 2019, Redwood Oil invested in generators that now enable stores to remain open as long as possible.

The store manager kit “details things like how to manage traffic, how to manage their own safety and staff safety, and what they need to do with the generator,” Vincenti said. “It’s not a training manual per se, but it captures best practices from those who have managed through it before. The procedures and checklists are key in these situations where there is not much time to think in the moment.”

Vincenti stressed the importance of not working in silos in these situations. Redwood Oil gathers key constituents at headquarters in a war room-style approach. “Being in the same room together, we can make decisions together as fast as the information comes in,” he said. “It makes sure everyone is exposed to the issues of the moment, avoids working in verticals and aligns communications.”

We believe the process for our store teams has to be as easy to execute as possible, regardless of if it is their first storm or their 10th storm.”

RaceTrac

RaceTrac, which has many locations in the Southeast, including in Florida, gets started preparing for tropical storms well before storm season. The retailer conducts an annual review every spring to make process adjustments to the chain’s core response plan, said Drew Gardner, senior operations project manager for RaceTrac. “All stores have a preparedness guide that is referenced, as well as a hurricane tote with necessary supplies,” he said. Review sessions are also conducted after each event and again at the end of hurricane season.

“The fundamental core plan does not change much from a structure standpoint,” Gardner said. “However, we absolutely are always adjusting the execution of the plan.”

One main consideration is the ease of that execution. “We believe the process for our store teams has to be as easy to execute as possible, regardless of if it is their first storm or their 10th storm,” he said.

RaceTrac’s Boots on the Ground plan is comprised of two portions: Jump Teams and Local Resources. Jump Teams are volunteers from the in-house maintenance team, field operations and field human resources teams—specifically, individuals who “raise their hand” in May when a list of names is compiled. “These volunteers cover the entire fleet, from Texas to Indiana,” Gardner said.

During what RaceTrac dubs Level 2 activation, Jump Team members are confirmed based on who can respond for the specific event. HR then secures hotel rooms in areas outside the main impact zone. Jump Teams depart home locations early to ensure they can arrive on-site as soon as it’s safe to do so, Gardner said. These teams bring critical supplies with them, including items such as extra parts for fuel dispensers, IT equipment and generators. “Jump Teams pivot quite often to support multiple stores depending on need,” he added.

When Hurricane Ian hit Florida in 2022, the governor at the time, Ron DeSantis, offered police escorts to any of the c-stores that agreed to remain open as long as possible. “Some stores took him up on that,” Bowman said. “It was a forward-thinking approach, since one problem is that traffic gets clogged getting off the Florida Keys with only one highway route to evacuate.”

Brainstorm with as many people as possible who can offer knowledge from different angles.”

The list of possible challenges to navigate can seem endless, from evacuation routes being limited to high winds preventing trucks from crossing over bridges, which in turn prevents gasoline being delivered to stores—another obstacle that happened with Ian. Indeed, Ian was so destructive that at least one c-store in Fort Myers, Florida, only just recently reopened, Bowman said.

Operators undoubtedly must be ready to adjust on the fly in these situations, but having an initial roadmap will ensure a starting point. “Modify the plan as needed,” Bowman said, “but if you don’t have a plan going in, you have nothing to start with.”

Beyond a starting point, Bowman recommends reevaluating the plan each year and kicking off the review session with these critical questions: Have any new leaders come into the organization? Is everyone on board? Do we need to adjust anything as we consider this storm (or wildfire, etc.)?

Depending on the storm’s track, a company may opt to move personnel around to help at different locations. Indeed, that is exactly how RaceTrac approached things—after a major Florida hurricane, the retailer moved employees around to ensure proper staffing at stores. “When you have employees and regional managers who have been through it before, those are key employees to rely on,” Bowman said. “It’s a constant assessment of staff capability and labor numbers and trying to figure out assets and feasibility.”

When crisis mode hits, people come together to figure out where and how to get fuel and supplies. “There is a lot of outside-the-box thinking that happens,” Bowman said. “That’s when a lot of leadership happens, and we get things done.”

Casey’s

At Casey’s, when a crisis hits, the retailer benefits from its local field leadership providing updates and ensuring that first and foremost its team members are safe, said Katie Petru, director of communications and community at Casey’s. “We have an amazing network of field leaders and store managers who see what is happening on the ground firsthand and communicate to us. For example, telling us where to ship pallets of water.”

To help local Casey’s best serve their communities—both in times of crisis and during normal operations—the company created a community playbook. Petru said that it offers guidance on how much retail value of product the store can donate, how many pizzas the store can drop off, etc. “We organized the playbook in the last couple of years, and it helps our store teams be empowered to take action and do what they would like to do, be agile and make decisions quickly,” she said.

In addition, Casey’s has an ongoing relationship with the American Red Cross as the company’s disaster preparedness and relief partner. Casey’s jumped into action with the American Red Cross following a major outbreak of tornadoes in April, when dozens of tornadoes tore through communities ranging from Texas to Iowa.

Immediately following the devastating storms, Casey’s took action, launching a roundup campaign at Casey’s stores in Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma, with all proceeds supporting the American Red Cross. The retailer also made a $10,000 donation to the Red Cross to help communities that were ravaged by tornadoes.

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Convenience stores are often the backbones of their communities, especially in emergency situations and during natural disasters. C-stores typically stay in operation as long as possible without endangering employees, and then are the first stores to reopen after a disaster. To slightly alter a phrase often cited as the postman’s motto, “neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor hurricane, nor wildfire, nor tornado shall keep the c-store from its appointed role in the community.”