Could Hurricane Ian Cause Supply Chain Issues?

Supply chain

With Hurricane Ian making landfall in Florida last month, issues with the supply chain were expected. Even though the damage wasn’t as bad as initially thought, it was still enough to cause issues throughout domestic freight shipping services. Here’s an inside look into the damage caused by Hurricane Ian and how it will impact your business. 

How Hurricane Ian Impacted the Supply Chain

Very rarely are the positives from a hurricane making landfall. The damage is devastating, uprooting homes, displacing families, and causing billions of dollars in damage. This was the case when Hurricane Ian made landfall in September. However, the damage to the supply chain does not seem to be as bad as was previously anticipated. 

Hurricane Ian ravaged southwest Florida, causing power outages, flooding, and the temporary shutdown of transportation infrastructure, which will lead to delays and higher costs for businesses. Even then, the impact of the hurricane won’t cause as much damage to supply chains as the Texas deep freeze did a year ago, which took 80% of U.S. basic organic chemicals capacity offline. 

How Long Will Supply Chain Issues Last?

While the damage to the supply chain was nowhere near as bad as anticipated, it still caused damage. Businesses in high-tech, automotive, and medical industries have seen some delays due to disruptions to their suppliers or transportation providers. The storm caused damage to thousands of supplier sites responsible for parts used in semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, plastics, and food. 

This could be a problem for companies unaware that they had a supplier who had a factory in Florida. That might sound silly, but it’s not uncommon for businesses to not know where exactly a supplier is located. For example, industrial supplier Fastenal has already reported delays, expecting some financial impact associated with the storm. 

What is Being Done to Help

Florida is already hard at work repairing interstate transportation, which was badly damaged in certain areas during this storm. By doing so, trucks can continue to make deliveries throughout the state and the country. Repairing infrastructure like highways is often one of the first parts of a rebuild after a storm. 

Financial relief is also expected to help Florida rebuild quickly. The quicker the areas are expected to bounce back from the storm, the quicker an already taxed supply chain can return to some normalcy. Waivers to the Jones Act have also been enacted to help Puerto Rico, which was badly affected by Hurricane Fiona earlier in September. 

How Will This Impact Your Business

If you rely on time-critical logistics, your business may be affected by Hurricane Ian. As a general rule of thumb, you should expect delays in shipments and price hikes in certain instances any time a storm makes landfall in America. Even storms in other areas of the world can have a massive impact on logistics back home. 

We recommend touching base with your supplies to ensure everything is okay and that your orders are still expected to be delivered on time. More often than not, your supplier will reach out to you, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

Do You Need Help With Your Logistics?

Dealing with your own logistics can be incredibly stressful, especially if you’re dealing with time-critical shipping. Receiving these shipments on time can make or break your business. That’s why we’re here to help with your logistic needs. At Trifecta Transport, we deal with your logistics needs so you don’t have to. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!