Storm Recovery: U-Haul Offers 30 Days Free Storage at 366 Centers

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2025--

U-Haul ® has made 366 Company stores available to help storm victims with 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box ® container usage after a powerful weather system produced deadly tornadoes, fires, flooding and wind damage across a line of states Friday through Sunday morning.

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The storms destroyed homes and property – and in some cases communities – while the tornado outbreak was responsible for a number of casualties. Many families remain without power and face a long rebuilding process.

Access to dry and secure self-storage units and portable storage containers can assist communities during the clean-up process.

U-Haul offered free storage at 16 centers on Saturday in Oklahoma following an outbreak of more than 130 wildfires, and at three centers on Friday in Texas after damaging winds from the same weather system.

Now 29 U-Haul regional presidents in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee have extended the Company’s disaster relief program to accommodate anyone in need with one month of self-storage services at no cost.

That adds 347 new locations (listed below) to the 19 sites previously designated in Oklahoma and Texas. Find a U-Haul facility near you at uhaul.com/locations.

The 30 days free offer applies to new self-storage and U-Box rentals and is based on availability. The U-Box portable container offer is for on-site storage at Company facilities. People seeking more information on the disaster relief program or needing to arrange storage services can call their nearest regional office or visit any U-Haul-owned facility in a participating state and city:

ALABAMA

U-Haul Co. of Central Alabama (16 Stores)

(205) 979-3013

Participating store locations: Auburn, Birmingham, Dothan, Enterprise, Montgomery, Pelham, Prattville, Vestavia Hills

U-Haul Co. of Northern Alabama (15 Stores)

(256) 217-9696

Participating store locations: Birmingham, Decatur, Florence, Fultondale, Gadsden, Guntersville, Huntsville, Oxford, Tuscaloosa

U-Haul Co. of S. Alabama (16 Stores; 10 in Florida)

(800) 633-6819

Participating store locations: Elberta, Foley, Fort Walton Beach (FL), Milton (FL), Mobile, Panama City (FL), Panama City Beach (FL), Pensacola (FL), Robertsdale

ARKANSAS

U-Haul Co. of Arkansas (12 stores)

(501) 569-5010

Participating Store Locations: Fort Smith, Jonesboro, Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Russellville, Sherwood

U-Haul Co. of Tulsa, OK (4 stores in Arkansas)

(918) 295-5700

Participating Store Locations: Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale

GEORGIA

U-Haul Co. of Atlanta North (13 Stores)

(770) 926-1340

Participating store locations: Alpharetta, Buford, Canton, Cumming, Jasper, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Norcross, Rome, Snellville, Woodstock

U-Haul Co. of Atlanta West (12 Stores)

(678) 608-4146

Participating store locations: Atlanta, Carrollton, Dallas, Douglasville, Kennesaw, Marietta, Smyrna

U-Haul Co. of Central Georgia (10 Stores)

(404) 332-3180

Participating store locations: Atlanta, Chamblee, College Park, Decatur, Forest Park

U-Haul Co. of Georgia Northeast (11 Stores)

(678) 707-8383

Participating store locations: Athens, Buford, Clarkston, Conyers, Decatur, Oakwood, Snellville, Stone Mountain

U-Haul Co. of Southern Georgia (11 Stores)

(706) 569-3372

Participating store locations: Albany, Brunswick, Columbus, Kathleen, Macon, Warner Robins

U-Haul Co. of Western Georgia (13 Stores)

(404) 767-0431

Participating store locations: College Park, Jonesboro, McDonough, Morrow, Newnan, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Stockbridge

KENTUCKY

U-Haul Co. of Louisville (16 Stores; 2 in Indiana)

(502) 491-4184

Participating Store Locations: Evansville (Ind.), Jeffersonville (Ind.), Lexington, Louisville, Lyndon, Owensboro, Radcliff, Versailles

MISSISSIPPI

U-Haul Co. of Mississippi (13 stores)

(601) 352-2602

Participating Store Locations: Biloxi, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Pascagoula, Pearl, Tupelo

MISSOURI

U-Haul Co. of Missouri (16 stores)

(417) 887-5832

Participating Store Locations: Branson, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Jefferson City, Joplin, Ozark, Sedalia, Springfield

U-Haul Co. of Missouri Northeast (13 stores, 2 in Illinois)

(314) 355-7902

Participating Store Locations: Alton (IL), East Alton (IL), Florissant, Hazelwood, O’Fallon, Spanish Lake, St. Peters, Wentzville

U-Haul Co. of St. Louis (11 stores)

(314) 766-4013

Participating Store Locations: Ballwin, Overland, St. Louis, University City

NORTH CAROLINA

U-Haul Co. of Central North Carolina (8 Stores)

(336) 802-1776

Participating Store Locations: Greensboro, High Point, Sanford, Thomasville, Winston-Salem

U-Haul Co. of East Charlotte (7 Stores)

(980) 272-4871

Participating Store Locations: Charlotte, Concord, Pineville

U-Haul Co. of Eastern North Carolina (6 Stores)

(252) 565-4890

Participating Store Locations: Elizabeth City, Garner, Greenville, New Bern, Rocky Mount, Winterville

U-Haul Co. of Raleigh (10 Stores)

(919) 875-0059

Participating Store Locations: Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Wake Forest

U-Haul Co. of Southern Atlantic Coast (10 Stores; 5 in South Carolina)

(910) 762-8708

Participating Store Locations: Fayetteville, Florence (SC), Jacksonville, Little River (SC), Myrtle Beach (SC), Wilmington

U-Haul Co. of West Charlotte (11 Stores; 2 in South Carolina)

(704) 568-0753

Participating Store Locations: Charlotte, Cornelius, Gastonia, Lake Wylie (SC), Mooresville, Rock Hill (SC), Statesville

U-Haul Co. of Western North Carolina (13 Stores; 8 in South Carolina)

(828) 569-6003

Participating Store Locations: Asheville, Boone, Greer (SC), Greenville (SC), Hendersonville, Hickory, Simpsonville (SC), Spartanburg (SC)

SOUTH CAROLINA

U-Haul Co. of Coastal South Carolina (7 Stores; 3 in Georgia)

(912) 234-3059

Participating Store Locations: Charleston, North Charleston, Savannah (GA)

U-Haul Co. of South Carolina (17 Stores; 6 in Georgia)

(803) 791-9714

Participating Store Locations: Augusta (GA), Columbia, Greenwood, Grovetown (GA), West Columbia

TENNESSEE

U-Haul Co. of Knoxville (19 Stores)

(865) 312-8174

Participating Store Locations: Alcoa, Bristol, Chattanooga, Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville, Seymour

U-Haul Co. of Memphis (16 Stores; 1 in Kentucky; 2 in Mississippi)

(901) 366-2600

Participating Store Locations: Collierville, Jackson, Memphis, Millington, Olive Branch (MS), Paducah (KY), Southaven (MS)

U-Haul Co. of North Nashville (13 Stores; 4 in Kentucky)

(615) 865-6030

Participating Store Locations: Bowling Green (KY), Clarksville, Hendersonville, Madison, Nashville, Oak Grove (KY), Old Hickory

U-Haul Co. of South Nashville (8 Stores)

(615) 432-4612

Participating Store Locations: Brentwood, La Vergne, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Spring Hill

In addition to its 30 days free self-storage disaster relief program, U-Haul is proud to be at the forefront of aiding communities in times of need as an official American Red Cross Disaster Responder.

About U-HAUL

Celebrating our 80th anniversary in 2025, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers with more than 23,000 rental locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The U-Haul app makes it easy for customers to use U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 to access trucks anytime through the self-dispatch and -return options on their smartphones with our patented Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to 193,100 trucks, 138,700 trailers and 40,200 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America with 1,037,000 rentable units and 89.6 million square feet of self-storage space at Company-owned and -managed facilities. U-Haul is the top retailer of propane in the U.S. and the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. Get the U-Haul app from theApp StoreorGoogle Play.

U-Haul teams in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee have extended the Company’s 30 days free storage disaster relief program after a widespread tornado outbreak, joining teams in Oklahoma and Texas that are already helping storm and wildfire victims.

GUANARE, Venezuela (AP) — Freedom came too late for Edilson Torres.

The former police officer was set to be buried Tuesday in his humble, rural hometown following his death in a Venezuelan prison, where he was held incommunicado since his November detention on what his family said were politically motivated accusations. Hours ahead of the ceremony, his children, neighbors, police officers, friends and dozens others gathered to pay their respects.

Torres, 51, died of a heart attack on Saturday, just as his family awaited the government's promised release of prisoners following the U.S. capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. His death comes as scores of families like his — who once hesitated to approach advocacy groups — are now coming forward to register their loved ones as “political prisoners.”

Alfredo Romero, director of the organization Foro Penal, a non-governmental organization that tracks and advocates for Venezuelan prisoners, said the group has received a “flood of messages” since last week from families.

“They didn’t report it out of fear, and now they’re doing it because, in a way, they feel that there is this possibility that their families will be freed,” Romero said. “They see it as hope, but more importantly, as an opportunity.”

The head of Venezuela’s national assembly said last week that a “significant number" of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace.”

Romero explained that of the roughly 300 families who reached out, about 100 cases so far have been confirmed as politically motivated. Most of those reported over the past few days, he said, once worked for Venezuela's military.

As of Tuesday morning, Foro Penal had confirmed the release of 55 prisoners. While Venezuela's government reported a higher figure of 116, it did not identify them, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.

“My little brother, my little brother,” Emelyn Torres said between sobs after his casket, cloaked in Venezuela's flag, arrived at her home for the wake. A few feet away, their grandmother nearly fainted as dozens of people crammed into the living room to pay their respects.

Hours earlier, as a minivan transported the body of her brother 267 miles (430 kilometers) from the capital, Caracas, to Guanare, Torres learned that other men linked to the WhatsApp group that led to her brother's arrest had just been released from prison. She wailed. He did not live long enough to walk free.

Among those who have been released are: human rights attorney Rocío San Miguel, who immediately relocated to Spain; Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign; and Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and presidential candidate.

Italian businessman Marco Burlò, who was released from prison Monday, told reporters outside an international airport in Rome Tuesday that he was kept isolated throughout his detention, which he characterized as a “pure and real kidnapping.”

“I can’t say that I was physically abused, but without being able to talk to our children, without the right to defense, without being able to speak to the lawyer, completely isolated, here they thought that I might have died," he said.

Janetsky reported from Mexico City.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Flor Zambrano, whose son, Rene Chourio, she says is detained at Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police for political reasons, embraces relatives of other detainees outside the facility in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A photo of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, and his family adorns his coffin during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Relatives of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being arrested on accusations of treason, sit by his coffin during his wake in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres leans over the casket of her brother, Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison a month after being detained on accusations of treason, during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Emelyn Torres and Maria Cristina Fernandez, the sister and grandmother of Edilson Torres, a Venezuelan police officer who died in prison after being detained on accusations of treason, embrace during his wake at his home in Guanare, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)