Rising From The Flood
In February this year, Townsville and surrounding areas were hit with intense rainfall which caused a ‘one in 100 year’ flood which devastated the region. Many homes and businesses were affected, including Bunnings Warehouse Fairfield Waters.
After seeing the amount of flood water surrounding the store, the Bunnings team had no idea how long it was going to take for the water to subside, let alone how long it would take to get the store up and running again. Many businesses in the Townsville area experienced the same unknowns.
Bunnings had to wait three days for the flood waters to subside before they could safely access the store.
Bunnings Director of Property, Andrew Marks, reflects on the impact to the store team.
“Once the team were able to inspect the damage, it was quite shocking for them to see.
“Stock was sprawled everywhere, carried from the shelves it used to sit on into the middle of the aisles by the flood water. You could see the marking on the walls of where the water had reached.
“The store was in a bad way. The Fairfield Waters team were devastated seeing the store they worked so hard to keep tidy and fully stocked in that way, it was a huge shock”, he said.
Safety inspections were organised, and insurance agencies were brought in to assess the damage. Once the team knew what they were up against, it was time to start planning on how to bring the warehouse back to the local community.
All stock and racking needed to be removed and disposed. This was because mould started to grow in the packaging of some of our products, even those not touched by flood water. A full sanitisation clean was performed to rid the store of mould and bacteria. The store became an empty shell, ready to be a Bunnings again.
The floors were polished, and all lighting was replaced with energy efficient LED lighting both inside and outside the store. Racking was put together and installed. Over 100 team members were involved in the recovery of the store, with teams from nearby stores coming in to lend a helping hand.
Andrew Marks said Bunnings team members were also out helping local community groups and schools with their recovery projects.
“It was really important to the team to help others in the community, with some team members coming in from other stores to work on community projects.
“Some of our team members’ homes were directly impacted by the floods but they still wanted to be a part of community projects at the same time as cleaning and repairing their own homes,” he said.
It was a total of eight weeks from when the first drops of rain fell to the day Bunnings Warehouse Fairfield Waters re-opened.
“To be up and running in such a short amount of time is a testament to the effort of our team and their commitment in servicing the local community in which we operate”, Andrew said.
“We were also very lucky to have the support of local council throughout this process.”
Deputy Mayor Cr Les Walker commends the resilience of the local community and thanks the Bunnings team for their support during the tough period.
“So many businesses and residents were impacted by the flood, but once again Townsville people showed how they always come together to lend a hand when help is needed most,” Cr Walker said.
“Many businesses were impacted, and some are still struggling to get back on their feet, but everyone was talking about how Bunnings and their workers responded so quickly to the mammoth challenge to reopen.
“And along the way Bunnings workers even helped with barbeques to feed people and just take the time to listen. It was a great effort and we’re extremely grateful.”
Andrew Marks, Bunnings Director of Property
