Justin Matos stands looking at his Island Lake travel trailer dealership, amazed at the power of Hurricane Katrina.

"The crazy thing is the magnitude of this thing," said Matos, general manager of Crystal Valley RV.

Recreational vehicle dealerships throughout the Chicago area are emptying of travel trailers and motor homes, most being snatched up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Chicago area mimics the country in this regard, as even drivers to deliver the vehicles are in short supply.

"We can't find enough drivers to get them down there," said Matos, whose dealership has sold close to 100. "I may have sales guys and technicians drive them down Saturday or Sunday."

Matos estimates FEMA may buy up a six-month supply of the entire industry's stock.

The RV drain is just one of the ways Katrina is visibly present. Companies across the Chicago area, big and small, feel the ripple effects from the disaster zones in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

The hurricane's damage will have a dual effect — sales for some area companies, but losses for others.

Larger companies, such as Deerfield-based Walgreen Co., have sent employees to assist customers in need of drugs.

Walgreen saw the RV drought first hand when it attempted to get 50 RVs filled with pharmacists to drive down to New Orleans and the Gulf states. Walgreen logistics employees went as far away as Montreal and Quebec to find vehicles.

"Everyone is out, around here," said Michael Polzin, a Walgreen spokesman.

The pharmacy chain estimates the 74 stores that closed in the wake of the storm have been reduced to 40. At least half a dozen of those stores have been looted, Polzin said.

An estimated 3,500 employees have been affected, Polzin said. Walgreen paid workers through Wednesday, regardless of whether they worked. It's also issuing $500 advances to employees at the damaged stores. And the Walgreen Benefit Fund is available for emergency assistance.

For customers, Walgreen set up trailer pharmacies at evacuee centers in Dallas and Houston. It sends pharmacists, fax machine and prescription terminals to smaller centers to get prescriptions to evacuees.

Through it all, Polzin said, employees are sticking together.

"We have one pharmacist in Louisiana who has taken 19 employees into his own home."

Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings Corp. has four Sears and seven Kmart stores still closed.

Oak Brook-based Ace Hardware, has 18 closed stores, 14 of which cannot even be reached for damage assessment, the company said. Three stores have been looted and one local franchise, Harry's Ace in New Orleans, suffered a total loss of goods.

Ace also is assisting employees with finding jobs and housing via a hotline.

Jill Rinker and Kathy Pfeffer process payroll debit cards for displaced employees at the McDonald's Corp. Service Center in Oak Brook, which has added employees and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to meet the needs following Hurricane Katrina.

Among the hardest hit area companies is Oak Brook-based McDonald's, which closed more than 200 stores at its peak and currently lists 100 closed stores. Up to 30 of those stores need "extreme rebuilds," said spokesman Bill Whitman.

In addition to its philanthropic giving, now $5 million, McDonald's has an employee disaster-relief fund, employee hotline and displaced employees have access to everything from loans to housing assistance.

It was at the Service Center at the Oak Brook headquarters that McDonald's learned the dramatic story of one of its young swing-shift managers.

With a one-year-old child and a four-week old infant in tow, Monique Young of Biloxi, Miss., made her way to Mobile, Ala., to escape the flood ravages at home. A Mobile area owner-operator took her into his home, buying diapers and clothes for the children. "Now, she wants to get back to work for a sense of normalcy," Whitman said. "People want to feel normal again. Our drive-thru lines are longer than the local gas station lines. " People say it (visiting McDonald's) makes them feel like things will get back to normal."

Looking to Help McDonald's Family Members?

It has been touching to see the overwhelming amount of calls from many McDonald's Family members asking to help other McDonald's Family affected by Hurricane Katrina. If you are looking to specifically help affected McDonald's Crew, Managers and Staff please visit www.mcdonalds.com. Thank you again for your support and compassion.