09/22/2020

Tropical storm Beta made landfall late Monday north of Port O’Connor, TX, and is currently bringing storm surges and heavy rainfall to areas north-northwest of the city. Moving inland over southeastern Texas, then towards Louisiana and Mississippi, the storm is expected to weaken to a tropical depression. Forecasters can currently not predict how much rainfall the system will produce in these areas, but widespread flooding is to be expected.

The Port of Houston advises that it is open and fully operational today, 09/22/20, with regular business hours.

The Port of Galveston has not updated its website yet but is expected to be open today.

The Port of New Orleans is operating on normal schedule.

The storm will probably impact traffic conditions inland so delay in movement from and to the ports have to be expected.

Please contact your V. Alexander Account Team about any cargo that might be impacted by the situation.

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09/21/2020

Tropical storm Beta is expected to make landfall along Texas’ central or upper Gulf Coast late Monday night and to then move northeastward along the coast and head into Louisiana sometime mid-week. As it does not seem to strengthen into a hurricane its biggest threat will he heavy rainfall and high winds.

The Port of Houston advises that it will be open and fully operational today, 09/21/20, and a decision about tomorrow’s operating schedule will be made later today.

The Port of Galveston shows its port condition as Zulu which means the port is closed today for incoming and outgoing traffic.

The Port of New Orleans is operating on normal schedule.

Please contact your V. Alexander Account Team about any cargo that might be impacted by the situation.

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09/16/2020

Hurricane Sally made landfall at 4:45 am today as a Category 2 Hurricane near Gulf Shores, AL, bringing heavy rain, powerful winds and flooding to the coastlines of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

The storm is forecast to weaken and head inland Wednesday night across southeastern Alabama before reaching Georgia on Thursday and the Carolinas on Friday.

It is expected to impact the inland regions with high winds and rainfall which can lead to delays for cargo in these areas.

The Port of New Orleans has reopened.

The Port of Mobile is scheduled to reopen with third-shift operation today but has not fully confirmed its operating schedule.

Please contact your V. Alexander Account Team about any cargo that might be impacted by the situation.

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09/15/2020

The National Hurricane Center advises that it is still too early to determine where the center of Hurricane Sally will make landfall. The slow-moving storm is not expected to develop into a Category 2 Hurricane but will still hit the coast expected to cause historic flooding and damage through wind gusts.

Operations at the Port of New Orleans remain closed today and are expected to resume tomorrow if weather conditions permit.

The Port of Mobile has not officially announced operational changes at this point. As of September 14 the port reported it being closed today and the port status is set to Zulu which mean that the port is closed today.

Please contact your V. Alexander Account Team about any cargo that might be impacted by the situation.

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09/14/2020

Tropical Storm Sally currently moves over the warm Gulf of Mexico and forecasters predicted it will make landfall as a hurricane in the next few days, although it is too early to predict when it will turn towards the coast of southeastern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

The biggest threat expected for these areas is currently flooding, with as much as two feet of rain falling in some areas.

At 10 a.m. local time today it was about 140 miles (230 kilometres) east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River with top sustained winds at 65 mph, moving toward the coast at just 6 mph.

Sally is expected to become a hurricane Monday and reach shore by early Tuesday.

A mandatory evacuation has already been issued in Grand Isle, LA and for Orleans Parish residents living outside of the parish’s levee protection system.

The Port of New Orleans advises that in preparation for the potential impact of the storm

> New Orleans Terminal and Ports America will close at noon today, September 14
> Breakbulk Operations at Empire will close at 2 p.m. today, September 14, while Coastal Cargo operations have not announced their schedule yet

The Coast Guard has set Port condition to X-RAY, open for commercial marine traffic. The BAR pilots have advised the last outbound vessel is at 10 AM this morning, the last inbound vessel is at 4 p.m. this afternoon (Sept. 13).

Inner Harbor Navigation Canal: The Flood Protection Authority began closing IHNC flood gates Sept. 12. The U.S. Coast guard has enacted the Regulated Navigation Area for the IHNC. Access will be restricted until the storm has passed, and the Flood Protection Authority begins to reopen floodgates.

New Orleans Public Belt Railroad: NOPB will cease operations at noon on Monday, Sept. 14.

Bridge Status: Port-owned bridges remain open to vehicular traffic. For more details, visit our Bridge Status page.

We will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Sally and provide updates as they become available to us.

Please contact your V. Alexander Account Team about any cargo that might be impacted by the situation.