Home Depot wants shoppers to be storm-ready

With hurricane season fast approaching, the Home Depot wants toencourage residents to shop its stores for storm-related gear byhosting nearly 700 storm workshops on May 30 from Texas to Maine.

The retailer says the events are part of its commitment to educate residents on storm readiness topics and will cover understanding hurricane alerts and categories, creating a storm survival kit, choosing a generator, weathering a hurricane safely and repairing a home after a storm has passed.

"Our associates are passionate about being a trusted resource for our communities, friends and neighbors in both storm preparation and disaster recovery," said Marc Powers, executive vice president, U.S. Stores, The Home Depot. "As our company prepares for hurricane season, our Hurricane Preparedness workshops encourage communities to prepare to be in the best possible position when a storm strikes. For our customers who cannot make the workshops we also offer great tips at www.homedepot.com/hurricane and our knowledgeable associates are always willing to help with any project."

For the third year in a row, the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will participate in the Home Depot's Hurricane workshops. For the first time, Team Rubicon, a nonprofit that unites the skills of military veterans with first responders to deploy emergency response teams in communities impacted by natural disasters, also will join the Home Depot's Hurricane Workshops.

Hurricane Preparedness Workshops are free, open to the public and will be held on Saturday, May 30, from 10-11:30 a.m. local time. Participating stores and registration information can be found online at workshops.homedepot.com. Customers not able to attend the event can learn more about hurricane preparedness through a virtual hurricane workshop.

The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,270 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.