Whole Foods Under Water

Whole Foods faced difficulties during Wednesday night’s flash flood when water began leaking into the store. A few minutes before 7 o’clock, water began coming into the store through and under the doors, quickly making its way down aisles and through most of the store. The few customers there were still checking out, some eating at tables, some attempting to leave. Those that did try to leave came back into the store moments later soaked, the water so deep in certain parts of the parking lot that it was just past the knee of adults.

7:03 PM: Water was piling high outside the store as customers gathered at the windows and captured the flood on their phones. Water flowed from the streets down into the outdoor seating area, pouring over the edge of the wall onto the chairs and tables as an impromptu waterfall. The couple of children that were there with their parents began asking to go home, saying that they were scared. A Whole Foods Team Member offered them free snacks from the Kids Club, which calmed them down for awhile.

At 7:08 PM, a sense of urgency settled in. A Team Member grabbed all of the white Whole Foods jackets he could find and pushed them against one of the doors. A few other employees braved the flood outside, pushing what looked to be large pieces of plastic and cloth against the door to prevent the flow of water into the store. From the inside, another Team Member overturned a table and pushed it against the door to help reinforce the makeshift barricade.

At 7:12 PM, employees began using mops and brooms to push the water away from the aisles. There was perhaps an inch or so of water on the floor at the front of the store, maybe a bit less. Customers continued to document the experience on their phones as Team Members gathered heavy bags of what was likely dirt and piled them at the front door to try and stem the flow of the water.

Around 7:25, customers were told that the store was officially closed and that Whole Foods employees would assist customers leaving in any way they could. Customers made their way out of the store and into the parking lot, where it was still raining, though not as heavily.

When asked for comment the next day, a Whole Foods employee said that the manager was not currently at the store and that he was the only person who could comment on the events of the flood. She did mention that he had been at the store all night, however.