Houston, Gulf ports partially reopen after Hurricane Rita
The Port of Houston, the Gulf Coast's busiest container port, partially opens for landside business this morning, having largely escaped damage from Hurricane Rita.
Meanwhile, Houston and most ports all the way to New Orleans will remain closed to vessel traffic today pending inspections of waterways by the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Port of Houston Authority said the port reopens for PHA employees and related port personnel at 8 a.m. today, and asked all employees and related port personnel to report to work if they can safely travel to the port.
The port will reopen for commercial trucks assigned to transport cargo Tuesday. But officials noted the port will not receive commercial vessels and barges until the Coast Guard reopens the Houston Ship Channel.
In Texas, the ports and waterways of Houston, Galveston, Freeport, Texas City, Port Arthur, Beaumont, Victoria Barge Canal and Port of Orange remain closed to vessel traffic, while the ports and waterways of Brownsville, Corpus Christi and Port Lavaca are open,' a statement from the Coast Guard said Sunday night.
'In Louisiana the ports and waterways of Sabine Pass, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Morgan City, Fourchon, Houma, New Orleans, Venice, Plaquemines, St. Bernard Parish, Grand Isle and Port of Shreveport remain closed.' The Lower Mississippi River is open, but deep-draft vessels are limited to daylight hours. The Red River and Atchafalya River are also open, the Coast Guard said.
At Houston, port officials said 'a preliminary assessment found that the PHA’s facilities sustained only minimal impact from Hurricane Rita.'
The Coast Guard said several barge breakaways were reported in conjunction with Hurricane Rita, including one in which barges reportedly collided with the Interstate 10 bridge in Port Arthur and came to rest against the West Lake Railroad Bridge. The Coast Guard said damage to the bridges was being still being assessed Sunday night.
The Port of New Orleans, which closed as a precaution against Hurricane Rita, was planned to be open for landside operations today, officials said.
Hurricane Rita hit hardest at Lake Charles, La., which had been used as an alternative port for some New Orleans business after Hurricane Katrina. According to the Associated Press and the Web site of local television station KPLC-TV, Lake Charles suffered serious flooding and wind damage. A riverboat casino and a barge had been knocked loose and were floating free, with the barge hitting the I-10 bridge spanning the Calcasieu River, which was closed while authorities inspected the damage.