Network Alert- Hurricane Idalia

  

Hard Deck Logistics has been tracking Hurricane Idalia, as well as discussing the impacts on supply chains with port authorities, steamship lines, rail carriers, 3PLs, and numerous shippers. 

 

Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the Big Bend region in Florida Wednesday morning as a powerful Category 3 Hurricane. Idalia has since weakened to a tropical storm. As you can see below from the National Hurricane Center tracking, the path of Idalia takes the storm now through Georgia and into the Carolinas through Wednesday evening. One of the major threats from the storm is life-threatening storm surge. The storm surge could hit 11 feet or more in the Big Bend area and could reach 5 feet or more in the cities of Savannah, Georgia & Charleston, South Carolina. 

 

There is heavy rain expected over the next 12 to 24 hours in the Carolinas, where it is possible to see 10-12 inches of rain. This could cause substantial flooding. The storm is expected to move off of the North Carolina coast by Thursday morning. 

 

In reviewing the United States Coast Guard database, several ports have been officially updated to "Zulu" status. This status signifies that gale force winds are occurring within the next 12 hours and that the port is closed to incoming/outgoing vessel traffic until further notice. As of the creation of this network alert, Hard Deck Logistics notes that the following key container ocean ports are closed with "Zulu" status: Tampa, FL; Charleston, SC; Jacksonville, FL; and Savannah, GA.  These are not the only closed ports of entry, however, they are the most key ports. 

 

Expectations are that there could be some delays to both vessel arrivals and vessel departures. Also, there could be impact on ocean container availability, rail departures from and to terminals, empty container return schedules, container in-gates and out-gates, and more. It is difficult to predict how substantial the impact may be, but if anything noteworthy occurs, we will keep our readers informed. 

 

Additionally, the heavy rain and flooding could definitely cause delays to trucking and possibly rail traffic especially in lower-lying areas. Many shippers in the impacted regions have also -- due to emergency orders or of their own volition -- shutdown receiving and office operations, hence there could be a bit of a backlog in certain supply chains. 

 

Please take note of the latest key messages from the National Hurricane Center as depicted below in the Key Message Alert.