Galveston's Walgreens reopens for business

Key Points

While emergency officials scrambled to restore power to homes and businesses throughout the hurricane-ravaged Galveston, Texas, area, Walgreens reopened its store in the midst of the island to provide much-needed supplies and pharmacy services.

"We're very happy that we could reopen this store at Hurricane Ike's Ground Zero less than a week after the storm hit," Robert Jenkins, a Walgreens district manager, said.

Company spokesman Michael Polzin said the chain brought in workers from throughout the region to repair damage and remove water. "One of the biggest issues was getting generators into that area because there was no electricity for quite a while," Polzin said. "Reopening was important because there were a lot of people who did not evacuate Galveston. So the first responders and the residents needed access to basic medical supplies and food."