U-Haul offers free storage after tornadoes plague Louisiana

Team Rubicon and its CEO, Jake Wood, are ready to spring into action to help communities hit by Hurricane Dorian.

U-Haul is lending support to Louisiana residents impacted by the string of tornadoes and severe storms that hit the central and western parts of the state Monday.

The dominant figure in the do-it-yourself moving and self-storage industry is offering a month of free storage at three facilities in the state after numerous communities sustained damaged homes and businesses as the severe weather made its way through the state.

“We are looking at devastation occurring in these communities right now,” said Jerry Bowden, U-Haul Company of South Central Louisiana president. “There will be a lot of clean-up and recovery, and people may need a secure place to stow their belongings in the coming days. Fortunately, our properties were unaffected and we are able to help by making these facilities available to our neighbors at no cost for one month.”

This comes just after U-Haul made nearly 50 facilities available for free self-storage and U-Box container usage in southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana when Tropical Depression Imelda wreaked havoc less than three months ago.

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U-Haul International Inc. says it has been helping communities plagued by natural disasters for decades by providing free storage across participating U-Haul facilities on an as-available basis.

In 2015, the company formalized a partnership with the American Red Cross, becoming an official Red Cross Disaster Responder.

“We’re a strong member of the communities in which we do business. We’re proud to offer a secure place for our neighbors to store their belongings during storm recovery.”

– Jerry Bowden, U-Haul Company of South Central Louisiana president

Through the partnership, Red Cross is able to get access to U-Haul’s resources including trucks, equipment, storage and easy access to U-Haul locations, which have surpassed 22,000 within the United States and Canada.

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Since the need for support during times of disaster are is so immense, U-Haul has also partnered with the military, government agencies, local police, fire departments, and other organizations to support the victims of a disaster.

Along with providing free storage, the company’s stores offer supplies to help with storm recovery, such as boxes, tarps, propane and propane tanks.

To date, U-Haul’s fleet has grown to approximately 167,000 trucks, 120,000 trailers and 43,000 towing devices. The company also offers over 60 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America.

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The storage locations in Louisana will be available in Alexandria and Leesville. People seeking more information or needing to arrange 30 days free self-storage should contact the nearest participating U-Haul facility below:

U-Haul Moving & Storage at MacArthur Drive