Carriers, government respond to Hurricane Isabel
Hurricane Isabel disrupted transportation along the mid-Atlantic region of the United States as it moved ashore Thursday.
At least 800 flights were canceled at 19 major airports in the Northeast, South and Midwest, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Isabel is supposed to move out of the region by mid-day Friday, but it may take airlines extra time to return to normal schedules because many planes were repositioned to avoid damaging winds. Cargo that flies on special charters and in the hold of passenger planes could be delayed.
The federal government has taken steps to safeguard transportation networks and get them back in operation if damage occurs. The FAA has sent repair crews to seven major airports and navigation sites to restore service after the storm passes and has backup generators in place at control tower locations. The Federal Railway Administration is closely monitoring bridges and low lying areas for indications of high water, washouts or track debris that could affect service.
Railroads are also pre-positioning crews and materials to make emergency repairs.
The Maritime Administration has spent $7 million to install a new anchor system in the James River in Virginia where nearly 100 ships, — most of the mothballed military and commercial vessels — are anchored, according to Reuters. During Hurricane Floyd in 1999 several of those ships broke from their moorings. There is serious concern that the vessels could be damaged because many are old and full of fuel and other toxic materials. MARAD said it has an oil spill response team nearby to determine the extent of the damage.
Hurricane Isabel is causing some delays in the U.S. mainland/Puerto Rico schedules of Horizon Lines, as the carrier takes measures to keep its ships away from the storm.
Puerto Rico missed the brunt of the storm, but “large ocean swells and dangerous surf conditions, rain and high winds will have some impact,” Horizon Lines said.
The carrier said the southbound vessel “Horizon Producer” would sail further east than expected due to heavy head sea and swell caused by the hurricane. The route followed from New Jersey to Puerto Rico to avoid the effects of the hurricane could add more than 200 miles to the voyage to San Juan, Horizon Lines said.
The “Horizon Hawaii” will be sailing behind the anticipated route of hurricane Isabel as it moves up the U.S. East Coast. Adverse conditions could cause further delays in the vessel’s arrival at Port Elizabeth.
Horizon Lines said the vessel “Horizon Discovery,” in the port of Jacksonville, would be stowed with three tiers of containers above deck rather than the usual four. This would reduce the vessel capacity and mean that some 45-foot and reefer containers would be shut out.