The end of April saw a record number of tornadoes in America: 164 in one day alone. Homes were destroyed, power lines failed, and while the South bore the brunt of the damage, late deliveries occurred throughout the nation. UPS halted its flights during the storms for safety reasons, and as a result, homes and businesses from completely unaffected regions encountered the grand scope of weather patterns.

Natural disasters have always affected more than their localized areas. In the nineteenth century, the fallout from a distant volcano spawned a freakish and early winter in Great Britain; the sociological aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is still felt in Texas and other states where refugees had to relocate. It’s no surprise, then, that a storm as calamitous as the tornadoes of the South has affected nearly every citizen in some way; such a substantial delay in shipments is no petty matter.

All businesses and many individuals depend on the accurate timing of their deliveries. Many parcel services are based in the South, or at least have substantial hubs there, so the mass redirection of shipping routes has obstructed the timing of nearly package circulating through the nation. A spokesman for UPS announced that all efforts are being made to reestablish a schedule and get packages back on track, but the repercussions of these storms will be felt for weeks. This is hard news for businesses. Late deliveries mean that production falters and deals fall through. While many delays are out of carriers’ hands, most are still insured, so refunds are still available. For people who have personally encountered the setback these tornadoes have caused, to leave these refunds unclaimed would only be a greater loss of revenue.