When Hurricane Sandy slammed into the northeastern part of the United States, the level of damage was clearly devastating. It was the start of a tremendously difficult time for many residents of this highly populous region. When bad things happen, a silver lining often emerges. In this case, that is a positive impact on the home improvement industry.

The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation will offer about $2.75 million worth of Home Depot gift cards to Staten Island homeowners recovering from Hurricane Sandy, according to a report in the Staten Island Advance newspaper.

The plan, which is expected to be announced Tuesday at a Staten Island Home Depot, calls for giving out $250 Home Depot gift cards to residents of the New York City borough who live in damaged homes. 

Hurricane lamps

Bad weather has meant brisk business for the industry’s largest home improvement retailers, which for the second year in a row experienced significant sales gains from an East Coast hurricane.

Fourteen months after Hurricane Irene wreaked havoc on the Northeast, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast, particularly New Jersey and southeast New York, where damage totals continue to rise well into the tens of billions of dollars.

A fire that that heavily damaged Burton Bros. Hardware in Seaford, Del., sent one of the store owners to the hospital for smoke inhalation, according to an article in the News Journal.

Simpson Strong-Tie has announced it will make a $25,000 donation to assist in the relief response and recovery efforts throughout the East Coast in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. The funds were given directly to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and will aid in providing food, shelter, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by the hurricane. 

Long before Hurricane Sandy arrived, hardware stores throughout the Eastern Seaboard found themselves swamped with customers trying to stock up on everything from batteries to rubber gloves. But now that the worst is over -- and property damage estimates are in the $50 billion range -- the effect on the home improvement industry is coming into focus. 

A slow-moving Hurricane Isaac is bad news for the people of the Gulf Coast, according to Thursday morning weather reports. 

By one estimate, Isaac could cause as much as $1.5 billion in insured losses. Nearly 650,000 people in the area are without power in the Gulf region and Arkansas.

Retail companies and distributors have mobilized.

Bill Kirk and Gerry Kress are weathermen. But not the television variety.

As owners of Weather Trends, they predict temperatures and atmospheric conditions around the country (they say they’re pretty good at it); but more importantly, they analyze the weather’s impact on retail sales.

Here’s one of the secrets to the analysis: Not all heat waves are created equally.

Despite a stagnant economy and drought conditions across large parts of the country, Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply Co. reported sales and earnings growth.

The company posted second-quarter sales of $1.29 billion, up 9.6% from $1.18 billion in the same quarter last year.

The nation’s largest chain of farm and ranch specialty stores posted earnings of $106.6 million, up 8.3% from $91.2 million in the year-ago period. 

As extreme heat and possible hurricanes begin to develop across the United States, a recent survey finds employees may not be prepared for disasters or emergencies at work.

The survey, conducted by Staples.com, found that 50% of office workers have either never participated in safety drills or have only done so every few years.