Hurricane Michael disrupts traffic across U.S. Southeast

In a region still soggy from the historic floods from Hurricane Florence last month, airlines, airports and logistics companies across the Southeastern United States are busy handling the delays, closures and power outages that followed yesterday’s landfall of Hurricane Michael in the Florida panhandle.

The strong Category 4 hurricane slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast southeast of Panama City at about 1 p.m. on Wednesday, packing winds of 155 miles per hour, which tore off roofs, snapped trees in half and caused at least two deaths, according to recovery officials. Michael, which was just shy of a Category 5 storm, when it made landfall, is the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the Florida panhandle region.

While the devastation from the 9-to-14-foot storm surge was widespread and catastrophic for many structures, the disruption to logistics appears, at the moment, to have been relatively light.

Airlink, a nonprofit disaster relief organization that links airlines with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), said today that airports in Pensacola (PNS) and Tallahassee (TLH), as well as Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport (ECP) in Panama City, had suspended services until this morning, but are now operating with significant delays and some cancellations.

Airlink added that it will work with its airline partners to “facilitate the most appropriate and effective response to the storm,” which will include assessment of alternative airport options in neighboring regions. “We’ve already begun facilitating flights for two NGO partners,” Airlink said.

As the storm approached yesterday, United Cargo imposed restrictions on the booking and carriage of freight in ECP, PNS and Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS). In addition, the carrier suspended all inbound transport of perishable commodities via its PatSafe, LifeGuard and TrustUA services to the following Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina airports: Atlanta (ATL), Columbia (CAE), Charleston (CHS), Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP), Mobile, (MOB), Myrtle Beach (MYR) and Savannah (SAV).

At Delta Cargo flights had been delayed at PNS by later resumed Wednesday evening. The airline also ferried aircraft normally scheduled to remain overnight in Augusta, Ga. (AGS) and SAV back to Atlanta Wednesday night to keep aircraft out of the path of Michael.

Delta also canceled all of Wednesday’s flights for ECP, TLH, VPS, Albany, Ga. (ABY), Valdosta, Ga. (VLD) and Dothan, Ala. (DHN). The airline said today it expects to resume flights at these airports later today, “pending an assessment of facilities and infrastructure.” Since Tuesday, Delta had canceled nearly 80 scheduled flights as a result of Michael.

Additionally, “to assist with an operational restart following the storm and to take care of Delta customers and employees,” the airline sent portable generators, handheld devices, satellite phones, water and other supplies, as well as additional staff “to provide operational support at certain impacted airports.”

The fast-moving storm, now downgraded to a tropical storm, continues to track northeast at approximately 25 miles per hour across the Carolinas today and should cross into the Atlantic tomorrow.