Flooding Impacts Midwest Retailers

DES MOINES, Iowa — Retailers in the state were trying to reroute deliveries around road closures last week after heavy rains prompted widespread flooding and closed several highways, including a stretch of Interstate 80. “That will obviously have an impact on our delivery, since I-80 is a main artery to our many stores in that part of the state and in Illinois,” said Chris Friesleben, a spokeswoman for Hy-Vee. “We will be able to route around the flood waters, of course, but it will obviously increase mileage and travel time. The flooding also caused Hy-Vee to change the venue for this weekend’s Hy-Vee Triathalon and to eliminate the swimming portion of the event because of high bacteria levels in the flooded bodies of water in the area. The “dry-tri” will now take place in West Des Moines. A spokeswoman for the Iowa Grocery Industry Association said the IGIA has received several calls from operators asking about flood-related issues.

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