Hurricane disrupts service in all modes

By Toby B. Gooley -- Logistics Management, 9/1/2005

WALTHAM, Mass.—In the days following Hurricane Katrina's rampage through the U.S. Gulf Coast, it became clear that disruptions to freight transportation will have an enormous impact on the U.S. economy for months, if not years, to come. Warehouses, and distribution centers have been wiped out. Shipments must be diverted, and companies must replace inventory that was destroyed. Carriers in all modes are hampered by damaged infrastructure, even as they divert equipment and staff to aid relief efforts.

A look at some of the hurricane-related news available at press time gives a sense of the problems transportation and logistics service providers will be facing for some time:

• According to executives at truck brokers Tucker Company, the trucking industry experienced a "severe and almost overnight drop" in capacity as the federal government hired a "massive" amount of equipment and drivers to carry relief supplies. Fuel stations in the Southeast have no electricity to operate pumps, are out of diesel, or are rationing fuel, Tucker reported.
• Schneider National Inc. is working with FEMA, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Navy to deliver diesel fuel needed for disaster-relief equipment and facilities. Three bulk tanker trucks were escorted by police to the Port of New Orleans, where a U.S. tanker containing diesel fuel was docked. Crews siphoned fuel from the freighter, then transported loads to base camps in and around New Orleans.
• Railroads rerouted trains and began repairing damaged tracks, working around the clock to restore basic service. BNSF, for example, was able to restore service over a bridge that was hit by a barge during the storm.
• Gulf Coast ports have suffered significant losses of infrastructure and cargo that will have long-term effects on specific industries. New Orleans is one of the primary ports for rubber and coffee imports, as well as for exports of grain. Mobile, Ala., Pascagoula, Miss., and Gulfport, Miss., are major gateways for poultry exports. Other ports with appropriate facilities have offered to accept those shipments, but many tons of cargo were destroyed.
• One of the best sources of detailed, up-to-date information about conditions at Gulf ports is being maintained by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). The group's website is www.aapa-ports.org.