Fewer Than One in Five U.S. Gulf and East Coast Residents Feel 'Very Prepared' for Hurricane or Flood According to Survey

ATLANTA, June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following the most devastating hurricane season in U.S. history, only 18 percent of adult residents living in the U.S. Gulf and Southern East Coast states, from Texas to Delaware(1), say their family is "very prepared" for a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or flood, according to a recent survey commissioned by The Home Depot(R) and the American Red Cross as part of a three-year partnership to increase preparedness. The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive(R).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030502/HOMEDEPOTLOGO) Additional Key Survey Findings - Only 37 percent of Gulf and Southern East Coast residents are "concerned" or "very concerned" that they and their families will be in danger due to a hurricane or flood during hurricane season (June 1- November 30). - Nearly one in three (31 percent) say they do not know how to protect their family and home from a hurricane. - More than half (55 percent) do not have a disaster supplies kit, and more than two in five (47 percent) do not have an evacuation plan in case of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or flood. - Only two in five (40 percent) are more concerned about the possibility of being impacted by a hurricane or flood now than they were three years ago. Educating Consumers on Hurricane Readiness

In an ongoing effort to help customers prepare and protect their families and homes during hurricane season, The Home Depot will expand its in-store hurricane readiness clinics, which were developed with expert advice from the American Red Cross, to more than 350 of its stores in 13 hurricane-prone states: Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Hawaii, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

"During the past two years, the hurricanes that have hit the Gulf region of the United States have had a devastating impact on millions of people and hundreds of local communities," said Paul Raines, president, Southern Division, The Home Depot. "These recent survey findings show us that continued education about hurricane preparedness is necessary. As part of our partnership with the Red Cross, we have developed a series of hurricane- readiness clinics in order to help our customers and neighbors better protect their families and homes."

Every Saturday from May 27-Sept. 30, 2006, The Home Depot will offer the in-store hurricane readiness clinics covering the following: How to Prepare for a Hurricane, ABCs of Hurricane Preparation, How to Protect Your Property From Wind, and How to Build Our Family Disaster Supplies Kit. The clinics will be held from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. (local time) and offered on a four-week rotation schedule.

The Home Depot first created and hosted hurricane-readiness clinics in 2005. The clinics, which were created with expert advice from the American Red Cross and other partners, provided more than 300,000 customers with the necessary tools and information to protect their families and homes in the wake of a disaster. For more information, visit homedepotclinics.com.

"It is a concern that one third of the Gulf and East Coast residents surveyed say they do not know how to protect their family and home from a hurricane," said Keith Robertory, manager of preparedness for the American Red Cross. "With an average of hundreds of tornadoes and several hurricanes per year throughout the nation, dedicated support from companies like The Home Depot and its readiness clinics help residents become more prepared before the next storm."

The Red Cross urges individuals, families and businesses across the country to contact their local Red Cross chapter or go online to redcross.org to find a complete list of disaster preparedness tips and lists of supplies to get more prepared now.

The Home Depot takes pride in helping to get its customers prepared for their last-minute hurricane needs. "We can't stand by when thousands of our customers are anxiously trying to secure their homes ahead of the storm," Raines added. "Our customers expect us to be there for them and offer solutions to their needs. It puts tremendous pressure on our organization, but we have a deep bench of knowledgeable associates who have lived through numerous hurricanes, and take pride in educating and preparing our customers. We understand it's a privilege and an opportunity for our brand to cement that relationship with our customers."

In May 2005, The Home Depot announced a three-year, $6.6 million partnership with the American Red Cross designed to help people prepare for and recover from natural disasters, such as hurricanes. The Home Depot began its 15-year relationship with the American Red Cross in 1989 following the San Francisco earthquake and has continued to support the American Red Cross through in-kind disaster relief donations.

Ongoing Gulf Rebuilding Efforts

The Home Depot recently announced that it is investing $57 million to support the ongoing rebuilding efforts throughout the Gulf region. Combining capital construction with philanthropic support, this investment will create jobs, drive economic activity and support local community efforts to rebuild homes and offer hope for the future. Including its commitments in 2005, The Home Depot will have invested more than $75 million dollars into the Gulf community and anticipates significant future investments in the region as it scales its business to respond to community rebuilding needs.

The Home Depot

The Home Depot(R) is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,065 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. Through its HD Supply(SM) businesses, The Home Depot is also one of the largest diversified wholesale distributors in the United States, with more than 900 locations in the United States and Canada offering products and services for building, improving, and maintaining homes, businesses and municipal infrastructures. In fiscal 2005, The Home Depot had sales of $81.5 billion and earnings of $5.8 billion. The Company employs approximately 355,000 associates and has been recognized by FORTUNE magazine as the No. 1 Most Admired Specialty Retailer and the No. 13 Most Admired Corporation in America for 2006. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index. HDG

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 125 years. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope. Through more than 800 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Almost 4 million people give blood -- the gift of life -- through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. An average of 91 cents of every Dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work.

About the Survey

Harris Interactive(R) conducted the telephone survey on behalf of The Home Depot between April 27 and May 7, 2006, among a nationwide cross section of 1,269 U.S. adults ages 18 and over residing in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and the District of Columbia. Respondents living in U.S. Gulf and Southern East Coast states are residents of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and the District of Columbia (n=870). Figures for age, sex, race and region were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the populations. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for U.S. adults living in U.S. Gulf and Southern East Coast states is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

About Harris Interactive(R)

Harris Interactive, the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, provides clients with research-driven insights and strategic advice to help them make more confident decisions, leading to measurable and enduring improvements in performance.

Widely known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering online market research methods, Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), Europe (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/europe) and Asia offices, and is supported by its wholly owned subsidiary Novatris (http://www.novatris.com/) in Paris and an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. Harris Interactive is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and Europe operations are based in London.

(1) U.S. adults ages 18+ residing in Delaware; Maryland; Virginia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Georgia; Florida; Alabama; Mississippi; Louisiana; Texas; and Washington D.C.