Lottery Retailers Display Resilency in Face of Hurricanes

Our state suffered not one, but two devastating blows from hurricanes this season. Hurricanes Katrina in late August and Hurricane Rita, two weeks later, caused tremendous damage to residences and businesses in Southeast and Southwest Louisiana, which included many Lottery retailers. After Katrina, nearly 800 retailers, a third of the Lottery's retailer base, were disabled due to damage, power outages and loss of telecommunications services. After Rita, another 300 retailers experienced damage or loss of power. In toll, 44 percent of Lottery retailers were affected in some way by the storms.

Immediately following the hurricanes, the Lottery's primary concern was for its employees' and retailers' safety and well-being. With loss of the New Orleans office, which is expected to be operational at the beginning of the calendar year, employees were temporarily reassigned to other regional offices throughout the state.

As the Powerball jackpot steadily climbed in September and October, customer calls came in from within and outside our state's borders inquiring about places to purchase tickets. While telecommunications services continued to be spotty in many areas, customer relations staff resorted to daily phone calls to retailers to determine their operational status in order to make player referrals.

As of the end of October, all but 400 of hurricane-affected retailers, or about 16 percent of the Lottery retailer base, were back on-line and and conducting regular business operations to varying degrees. These hard-working Louisiana businesses demonstrate the drive and resilient spirit that Louisiana has come to be known for.

"We recognize the damage has in some cases been irreparable, but we will not let these hurricanes weaken our will or strength to pick up the pieces and go forward. Rest assured, the Lottery remains committed to helping affected retailers get back to business," said Lottery President Randy Davis.