Just three weeks after Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf Coast, the threat of an equally or perhaps even more powerful Hurricane Rita looms. The intensity of this year’s Hurricane season illustrates the dire need for effective disaster planning by consumers and government, as well as retailers and manufacturers.
This report series is intended to provide the CPG industry with insights into consumer needs across product categories before and after such an event, so that this learning may be incorporated into disaster plans and educational initiatives.This second report focuses on purchase behavior during the week following the hurricane (August 29 – September 4) within key Gulf Coast markets (New Orleans, La./Mobile, Ala.; Birmingham/Montgomery, Ala; and Mississippi) as well as surrounding regions, in which thousands of Gulf Coast refugees are now residing. In addition, this assessment revisits the 2004 hurricane season, which included three back-to-back hurricanes in Florida markets, to gain insight into how long current purchase trends are likely to continue before some element of normalcy takes hold.