While no Sanderson Farms employees were known to be injured as a result of Hurricane Ida and none of its facilities received serious structural damage, the storm did still cause some operational disruptions.
On August 30, Sanderson Farms issued a press release concerning the hurricane’s impact on operations.
According to chairman and CEO Joe F. Sanderson Jr., all of the company’s facilities have power, except for the complex in Hammond, Louisiana, and the feed mill and hatchery in McComb, Mississippi. However, those facilities will operate on generator power until electricity is restored.
Sanderson noted that operations in Hammond, as well as its locations in Mississippi did not operate on August 30, but he expected production in the Mississippi communities of Laurel, Collins, Hazlehurst and Jackson to resume the following day.
“The widespread power outages are creating challenges for our employees in Hammond and McComb, but we hope these locations will be back in operation later this week. We also expect to operate over the holiday weekend, including Monday, to catch up on lost production,” said Sanderson.
Sanderson also said there were no significant bird losses. However, there are 650 broiler houses and 48 breeder houses operating on generator power.
This has not been the first time Sanderson Farms has been adversely affected by hurricanes and other storms. Recent hurricanes causing Sanderson Farms to experience losses include Uri and Viola in 2021, and Florence in 2018. Previous experiences with adverse weather helped the company better prepare for Ida.
““We have experience managing through catastrophic weather events, and we were prepared to respond to Hurricane Ida and do all we can to protect our assets. Our top priority has been and will continue to be the safety of our employees, contractors and independent contract producers, and the health and wellbeing of the animals under our care. …
“In anticipation of the storm and resulting power outages, we topped off feed bins and fuel tanks, tested generators and prepared farms before the storm hit to ensure our growers have adequate supplies of feed and fuel to care for flocks until power is restored.
“Hurricane Ida was a storm of historic proportions, and we are deeply saddened by the extreme devastation and losses that have occurred. We are grateful for the support from local authorities and the heroic work of first responders who are dealing with the aftermath of the storm as conditions allow. We will continue to help those displaced by the storm, including providing ice and food to the affected areas when it is safe to do so,” said Sanderson.
