Weekend winter storm effects food shipping for businesses
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The winter storms last weekend caused damage, power outages, and icy roads.
That’s made it difficult for many people in the viewing area to get out and get necessities like food.
But even in some places where conditions weren’t as bad, access to supplies is becoming difficult because truck shipments can’t get through the harder-hit areas.
Restaurants and grocery stores in the area are beginning to feel the pinch because they can’t get the supplies they need to serve their customers.
Lowndes County fared better than many parts of North Mississippi after last weekend’s winter storm.
Power outages were minimal, and roads were passable for the most part.
But that doesn’t mean the area was completely spared from the effects.
Road conditions in other parts of the state, as well as neighboring Tennessee and Arkansas, have made travel difficult, even on the interstates. And that means supplies delivered by truck are slow to come through.
That’s having an impact on the area’s grocery stores and restaurants.
“This is the first time this has happened since we have been in business,” Brent Teague said. “As I said, the main reason is Arkansas and Memphis, and those areas got hit way harder, and that is where our food distributors are located, so with roads being closed, they can’t get the products to us.”
Brent & Courtney Teague have owned CJ’s Pizza for 12 years.
They said weather like the winter storm has never caused troubles like this for their business.
“It helps for the community to understand because if you not in food business or any business even grocery stores we saw this morning and yesterday when we tried to go out and get product that there is a lack of supplies because the trucks come from up north so it helps the community understand that we are doing all that we can do, our food providers are doing all they can do,” Courtney Teague said.
The Teagues said that sharing their concerns with customers and surrounding food businesses helps the public understand that this is temporary and things will return to normal operations soon.
“Reaching out and putting it out on Facebook and different social media just allows the community to understand what the impact is trying to come to different restaurants,” Courtney Teague said.
Warmer temperatures the past couple of days and an all out effort to help clear ice on the interstates has business owners optimistic that supply will be back to normal soon.
