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Suppliers Open After Severe Weather

Industry suppliers are up and running despite severe weather across a broad swath of the United States that caused at least 26 deaths and widespread damage. In the Dallas area, nine tornadoes touched down Saturday night, killing 11 people and damaging more than 600 homes and businesses. One tornado that hit Garland, Texas, a city just northeast of Dallas, reached EF-4 status, with wind gusts between 166 and 200 mph.

T-Shirt Tycoon Solutions, Inc. (asi/87000), which is based in Garland, had no employees affected by the storms and suffered no damage to its facility despite the tornado hitting just a few miles from its offices. “Emotionally we are all shook up about our neighbors and the devastation that happened,” said President and CEO Adam Walterscheid. “It takes a toll on your psyche about rejoicing for yourself while others are in despair.” PXP Solutions (asi/78964), which is also based in Garland, is open and running and suffered no damage, said President Bruce Jolesch.

In Missouri, a state of emergency was declared Sunday after heavy rain and flooding killed at least eight people and caused over 100 water rescues. The rain and flooding continued yesterday morning in the southern half of the state. “Luckily, Cap America is not affected by the severe weather at this point,” said Brooke Watson, marketing coordinator for Cap America (asi/43792), which is based in Washington, Mo. “We are hoping for a break in the rain and we are just trying to stay dry for now.”

Ariel Premium Supply (asi/36730), based in Overland, Mo., was open without disruptions. “We are doing fine here except a few of our associates reported flooding in the areas they live, but mainly in the streets,” said Kan Hsu, general manager for the company.

Illinois and Oklahoma both experienced flooding while tornadoes also touched down in Mississippi and Arkansas. Meanwhile, severe blizzards hit parts of eastern New Mexico, north Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle on Sunday. Parts of New Mexico had 16 inches of snow with drifts as high as 10 feet. Fed Ex issued a winter storm service alert, noting that disruptions in delivery and shipments were possible in the Southwest and Midwest.