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Oct 87 min read

Hurricane Milton Impacting Florida Freight

Updated: Oct 16


Charlie Riedel, AP

Updates as of October 16, 2024

Florida port gets $9.5M in Milton storm funding


Hurricane #Milton caused an estimated $200 million in damage to SeaPort Manatee


Florida’s #SeaPort Manatee will receive $9.5 million in state emergency funding to aid recovery from Hurricane Milton.


The funding comes as fuel, food and other goods begin to move through the maritime hub near Tampa Bay.


The port serving southwest and central Florida suffered an estimated $200 million in damage when Milton made landfall Oct. 9.


Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the funding Monday at the port.



By : Stuart Chirls, FreightWaves


 

Updates as of October 14, 2024

Hurricane Milton deals estimated $160B blow in damage, economic loss


Milton wreaks havoc on Florida, causes delivery disruptions


Hurricane Milton caused at least $160 billion in damage and economic loss, according to a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather.


The Category 3 hurricane hit Florida Wednesday night, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Total losses could be up to $180 billion, making it one of the most damaging storms in Florida history, AccuWeather said.


Milton came on the heels of Hurricane Helene, which AccuWeather projected caused at least $225 billion in damage and economic loss.


“With Hurricane Milton’s total damage and economic losses of $160-180 billion, the sum of two hurricanes in just three weeks elapsed time has a total damage and economic loss of near 2% of the country’s GDP,” AccuWeather founder and Executive Chairman Joel N. Myers said in a statement.




 

Updates as of October 11, 2024

Milton’s Effects Likely to Ripple Across Global Supply Chains

 

Hurricane Milton is expected to force the #closure of major #ports like Port Tampa Bay, a key hub for handling of imported goods such as petroleum products, steel, cement, aggregates, and food and beverages. The port also handles exports of phosphate, scrap metal, forest products, citrus products and a variety of manufactured goods including machinery, equipment and consumer products. The countries affected on the export side are China, India, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium.

 

The closure of the port will disrupt the flow of goods, leading to #delays and #congestion. With Tampa Bay out of commission, cargo ships will be diverted to other ports, potentially overwhelming their capacity and causing further delays along the Gulf and East coasts. This could exacerbate the congestion already present due to aftereffects of the International Longshoremen’s Association strike.

 

Hurricane-force winds and flooding will likely lead to #road and #rail closures in affected areas, hindering the movement of goods inland. This will disrupt trucking and rail operations, further delaying deliveries and impacting supply chains. Even after the storm passes, damaged infrastructure and debris may limit access to ports, making it difficult for trucks and trains to pick up or deliver cargo.

 

Strong winds and flooding could damage #warehouses, distribution #centres and other critical #infrastructure, disrupting #storage and fulfillment #operations. This could lead to inventory losses and further delays in getting goods to consumers. Widespread power outages are expected, which could impact the operation of ports, transportation hubs and businesses involved in the supply chain.

 

But the impacts of the storm will go beyond U.S. supply chains.

 


Nonprofits in logistics space speed medical supplies, other aid to Florida


FedEx partners with relief organizations to assist Hurricane Milton victims


Nonprofit groups loaded with crucial disaster-relief and #medical #supplies are parked at staging areas in Florida after Hurricane Milton, which was a Category 3 storm when it struck Florida’s Gulf Coast Wednesday night, spread destruction across the state.


Kelby Marlin, transportation director at Convoy of Hope, said the faith-based organization has two tractor-trailer loads of supplies at its staging area in #Perry, #Florida. That location could change depending on the hurricane’s trajectory.



By : Clarissa Hawes, FreightWaves


 

Updates as of October 10, 2024

10 ports remain closed in Hurricane Milton’s aftermath


SeaPort Manatee and Port Tampa Bay remain under port condition “Zulu” set by U.S. Coast Guard


Ten ports, including two of Florida’s key commercial ports along the Gulf Coast, remained closed Thursday in the wake of devastation caused by Hurricane Milton.


Port Tampa Bay and SeaPort Manatee were closed to commercial vessels after the U.S. Coast Guard set port condition “Zulu” on Tuesday.


Officials for Port Tampa Bay said they are performing preliminary assessments on the port’s landside and seaside operations.


“Our port is currently without power. Some damage was observed on numerous buildings but there has been no significant damage to docks so far. The port is accessible through the main gates. Access to fuel terminals is clear, but awaiting individual facility assessments,”



By : Noi Mahoney, FreightWaves


US airlines maintain cargo embargos as Hurricane Milton hits

 

US carriers are maintaining and extending their cargo #embargoes at stations in Florida as Hurricane Milton makes landfall.


Overnight the hurricane weakened from category five to three but is still expected to cause widespread destruction with storm surges of more than 10 ft.


In response, airlines have been adding embargoes to their cargo operations in Florida.


American #Airlines Cargo has added an embargo at eight stations in Florida: Orlando International (MCO), Southwest Florida International (RSW), Sarasota–Bradenton International (SRQ), Jacksonville International (JAX), Tampa International (TPA), Palm Beach International (PBI), Daytona Beach International (DAB) and Gainesville Regional (GNV).

 


By : Damian Brett, Air Cargo News


 

Updates as of October 9, 2024

Air Updates 

Airlines Cancel Flights, Airports Close as Florida Braces for Hurricane Milton

 

U.S. #airlines are canceling flights and adjusting schedules as some Florida airports close in anticipation of disruptions from Hurricane Milton, which is set to make landfall in the state on Wednesday.

 

As of Tuesday afternoon, 896 flights within, into or out of the United States were delayed, and 696 were cancelled, with that number expected to rise as more than 1,500 flights scheduled for Wednesday have already been cancelled, according to flight tracking data provider FlightAware.

 

#Orlando International, one of the busiest airports in the U.S., said it would cease operations at 8 am local time on Wednesday, according to a notice on its website, while Tampa International said it was closed on Tuesday.

 


By : Abhinav Parmar, American Journal of Transportation


Rail and Truck Updates 

Hurricane Milton May Be Too Much for the Freight Market to Handle

 

The North American freight market is experiencing its third major event in two weeks’ time. Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in the Tampa, Florida, area as a major Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds around 125 mph. The storm surge is expected to be more like that of a Category 4 or 5 storm, however, making it potentially one of the strongest storms ever to hit the Tampa area.

 

Milton is hitting on the heels of two major market-disrupting events: the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) strike and Hurricane Helene.

 

The #ILA strike resulted in three days of lost shipping time around the major East Coast ports; the market is still recovering.

 

#Helene may not have had a huge direct influence on national trucking capacity, as most of its impact was in more-rural areas with little transportation demand, but it has put strain on the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) in front of Milton. 

 

Tender rejection rates, a measure of how often carriers reject load coverage requests from shippers, have increased around many of the Eastern port markets the past few days. 

 


By : Zach Strickland, FreightWaves


 

Florida ports suspend operations ahead of powerful Hurricane Milton 


Officials warn #Milton will be deadly


Some Florida ports shuttered Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Milton, which is expected to continue growing in size before making landfall as a powerful, life-threatening storm.


Category 4 Hurricane Milton is expected to hit west-central Florida Wednesday night, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is forecast to double in size ahead of landfall but weaken. Milton on Tuesday was downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm. 


Port #Tampa Bay halted incoming and outgoing vessel traffic Tuesday morning and expects gale-force winds to arrive later Tuesday. Shipping channels were closed, but landside operations were ongoing.


SeaPort #Manatee closed Tuesday to vessel traffic but continued landside operations. 


Ports in Key West, Fort Myers and St. Petersburg were closed Tuesday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Ports in Fort Pierce, Miami, Canaveral, Fernandina, Jacksonville and Panama City were open with restrictions.



By: Brinley Hineman, Freightwaves


Hurricane Milton already impacting Florida freight markets


Shippers and carriers are already avoiding Lakeland


The impacts of Hurricane #Milton are already appearing in freight markets in Florida. The storm is currently forecast to make landfall just south of Tampa as a Category 3 with sustained winds of 127 mph and gusts upwards of 155 mph.


The freight markets in #Florida are prototypical backhaul markets, but Milton is set to be one of the most disruptive events in the area in quite some time. Based on the forecast track as of 8 a.m. EDT, the Lakeland market, home to both Tampa and Orlando, the 16th- and 21st-largest metro areas in the country, respectively, will bear the brunt of Milton’s strength.


For perspective on the size of the #Lakeland market, the Outbound Tender Volume Index sits at 201.65, the 16th largest freight market of the 135 markets tracked within FreightWaves SONAR, representing 1.693% of total outbound freight in the U.S. On the inbound side, the Inbound Tender Volume Index sits at 326.5, making it the sixth-largest inbound freight market of the 135 markets, currently slightly larger than the Dallas freight market. The Lakeland market is the destination for 2.726% of total freight.



By: Tony Mulvey, Freightwaves

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