Hurricane Florence

Posted on Sep 18

09/18/2018
Tropical Depression Florence still causes widespread flooding in large areas of the Carolinas and Virginia.
The North Carolina Ports Authority just announced that it plans to open the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City to employees on 09/20/2018, and that full port operation is planned to resume on 09/24/2018.
The South Carolina Ports Authority advises that its ports and terminals resume regular operations schedules.
The Port of Virginia terminals, Norfolk International Terminals and Virginia International Gateway, has resumed regular operation schedules.
This will be the last notice about Florence.
For information on specific shipments please contact your V. Alexander Account Team.
09/17/2018
What was Hurricane Florence has now been downgraded to a Tropical Depression, but over the weekend the storm had a devastating impact especially on North Carolina, as widely reported in the news.
The North Carolina Ports Authority advises that terminals and other structures in the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City show significant signs of damage, and that therefore both ports remain closed until Wednesday, 09/19/2018 – by then the Port Authority will provide further updates.
The South Carolina Ports Authority advises that the Charleston container and break bulk operations resume today, and that Norfolk Southern and CSX intermodal ramps opened at 4:00 am local time. The inland port in Greer resumes normal operation, while the inland port in Dillon will reopen Tuesday morning. The port in Georgetown also reopened this morning.
The Port of Virginia terminals, Norfolk International Terminals and Virginia International Gateway, report normal operation schedules for today.
The port of Savannah operates normally.
It surely will take some time to return to absolutely regular service in the affected ports, as the closings last week create some congestion issues that need to be resolved.
Our Account Teams will keep you informed on any impact on your freight that might be handled through these ports.
09/14/2018
Hurricane Florence made landfall this morning as a Category 1 storm, it is expected to cause massive damage through extensive rain and subsequent flooding in the Carolinas through the weekend.
Ports in South and North Carolina remain closed today.
The South Carolina Ports Authority advised that the terminals in Charleston and the ports’ operations could remain closed through the weekend for post-storm evaluations. Norfolk Southern and CSXT are not accepting Intermodal shipments destined to Charleston, SC. The Norfolk Southern and CSXT Charleston Intermodal Facilities are closed. Operation is expected to return to normal schedule on Monday.
The Port of Virginia terminals, Norfolk International Terminals and Virginia International Gateway, will be closed today after the National Weather Service issued a Tropical Storm Warning for Southeastern Virginia, including the port of Norfolk. Heavy rain and tropical storm force winds are anticipated through Saturday morning. Currently truck dates at NIT and VIG are scheduled to be open Saturday and Sunday.
We will provide further updates if any become available today, and will otherwise report on the port schedules on Monday.
Your V. Alexander Account Team will advise on any cargo delays caused by the port closures.
09/13/2018
Although Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to a Category 2 storm and the overall wind speed has decreased, it has increased in size and is still expected to have a dangerous impact if it hits land.
The port schedules issued by the the North Carolina Ports Authority and the South Caroline Ports Authority remain unchanged as shown below.
As the forecast for Southern Virginia has improved in the last 24 hours The Port of Virginia has revised its schedule as follows:
  • Thursday morning, September 13
    • TRUCK GATES RE-OPEN at all six Port of Virginia cargo terminals – observe normal/posted operating hours
    • No TRS reservations required – open hours at all terminals
    • No empty reefer movement in or out of NIT
    • PPCY/RSA remain CLOSED – all empties routed to the marine terminals
    • Please consult the matrix
    • PCY chassis yard – OPEN
  • Friday, September 14
    • Operating status to be determined and announced by midday on Thursday, September 13
Ports in Georgia remain on regular schedule.
Although no international airports in the area are affected by the storm, delays in cargo distribution from international airports into areas affected by Florence are expected to face delays.
We will advise any further updates when they become available, and our Account Teams will continue to update you on any of your cargo that might be impacted by the storm.
09/12/2018
Hurricane Florence changed its path slightly to the southwest and is now expected to slow and stall just offshore, bringing heavy rainfall and most likely flooding to the coastal areas before moving inland on Friday and Saturday.
Weather conditions, flooding and port closings will delay cargo coming into the USEC ports, the complete impact will very much depend on the final path the storm takes and the total amount of wind and rainfall it brings.
The North Carolina Ports Authority advises that the ports of Wilmington & Morehead City will be CLOSED on Thursday, 9/13 & Friday, 9/14.
The South Carolina Ports Authority advises the following port schedule:
  • Wednesday: normal operation in Charleston (container and break-bulk)
  • Thursday, Friday and Saturday: no vessel or gate operations in Charleston (container and break-bulk), Dillon and Georgetown
  • Sunday: vessel or gate operations in Charleston (container and break-bulk) if weather conditions are favorable
  • Monday: return to normal port operations expected in all ports
The port schedule for The Port of Virginia remains unchanged, as does the schedule for the Georgia Ports Authority.
We will continue to monitor the situation and advise updates as they become available, and your V. Alexander Customer Service Account Team will advise you on the status of any shipments that might be impacted by the hurricane.
09/11/2018
Hurricane Florence is expected to restrengthen today, expected to turn into an extremely dangerous, possibly a Category 5 hurricane with a path towards the US East Coast, with landfall expected late Thursday afternoon.
About 1 million people are under mandatory evacuation orders in coastal areas of South and North Carolina as well as Virginia, and states of emergency were declared in the three states as well as in Maryland.
The North Carolina Ports Authority continues its Hurricane Preparation Plan and is taking all necessary steps to protect cargo, facilities and equipment.
  • NC Ports’ terminal in Wilmington will continue to operate under extended container gate hours Tuesday, September 11. The Port of Wilmington’s container gate will be open until 7:00 pm for pickup and drop-off. Please make every effort to utilize these additional hours to remove cargo from the Port. The Port of Wilmington’s General Cargo gate and the Port of Morehead City’s gate continue to operate under normal hours.
  • The Port of Wilmington and the Port of Morehead City will be CLOSED to commercial truck traffic on Wednesday, September 12, however, tenants will have access to both Ports. No access of any kind will be permitted at either Port facility as of 12:00 am Thursday, September 13 through Saturday, September 15.
  • Once Hurricane Florence passes, and the Port facilities can be evaluated, we will communicate plans concerning re-opening.
The South Carolina Ports Authority has not changed its status from yesterday, but several trucking and shipping companies in the area advise office closings, due to the mandatory evacuation orders that take effect Tuesday at noon in eight counties along the state’s 187-mile coastline. Traffic in all lanes along parts of Interstate 26 and Route 501 will be routed away from the coast which will certainly lead to issues with port traffic.
The Port of Virginia will observe the following operational posture:
  • On Tuesday, September 11, all truck gates will close according to posted hours (business as usual at all Port of Virginia terminals)
  • HARD STOP for all terminal activities at 2359 hours on Tuesday, September 11
  • All vessels to depart Port of Virginia berths
  • Wednesday, September 12 – NIT / PMT / NNMT / VIG / PPCY / RMT / VIP – CLOSED
The Georgia Ports Authority continues to track hurricane Florence and continues to observe normal operating hours. Based on current forecasting models GPA is not expecting any impact to any operations in Savannah or Brunswick. All port users are encouraged to continue to monitor the storm.
We will closely monitor the situation and will advise updates as they become available.
Your V. Alexander Customer Service Team will advise you on the status of any shipments that might be impacted by the hurricane.
09/10/2018
Category 4 Hurricane Florence is moving towards the US East Coast and can possibly hit areas from South Caroline to Virginia on Thursday, September 13, 2018.
At this point the ports along the coast advise the following:
  • South Carolina Ports Authority currently observes normal operating hours at all facilities
  • The Port of Wilmington, NC, has extended container gate hours on 9/10 & 9/11 to 7:00 pm for pickup & drop-off.
  • Virginia ports are operating on normal schedule on Sept. 11.
All ports are closely monitoring the storm’s development and will take further steps as necessary.
Should the storm continue to approach the East Coast we expect measures to be taken that will impact the cargo flow in and out of the ports.
We will advise updates as soon as they become available.