SPRINGFIELD, MO -- O'Reilly Automotive has announced most of its stores in the areas affected by Hurricane Rita have reopened. As of Wednesday, only eight stores remain closed, four of which will be open by Thursday and two of which will be ready to reopen once clearance has been given by the local authorities. At the time of Rita's landfall, there were 166 stores closed in the affected area due to extensive evacuations of coastal regions including Houston, TX.

Additionally, the company announced only three stores in Mississippi and Louisiana remained closed as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

"We feel very fortunate to be in this position, considering the potential that existed for significant damage in the areas in Rita's path. Team O'Reilly again demonstrated its commitment to customer service by reopening the affected stores as soon as possible," stated Greg Henslee, CEO and co-president.

"Our Houston Distribution Center has reopened and resumed deliveries. Our team members in our other distribution centers did an excellent job of filling orders normally handled by Houston to maintain our leading levels of inventory availability to our stores and customers," said Ted Wise, COO and co-president.

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