East Coast Ports preparing for Hurricane Sandy

 New York, NY– Ports on the US East Coast are anticipating the worst as Hurricane Sandy approaches the eastern seaboard this morning.

The storm already forced closure of port facilities from Virginia to New York, said a Port Technology International report.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey closed for business at midnight on Sunday due to the strong possibility of flooding in and around the port, with many predicting a near-record storm surge when the coastal storm finally reaches land. Officials said they were taking the storm very seriously, and securing all equipment against heavy winds

New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway, one of the busiest U.S. toll roads, is closed Monday in both directions along its southern 63 miles because of flooding.

CSX Corp, which ranks as the second-largest publicly owned railroad company, shut its network between Richmond, Va., and Albany, N.Y., early Monday. The closure included Boston and extended as far west as Brunswick, Md.

Norfolk Southern Corp meanwhile is warning that flooding and high winds from  Hurricane Sandy could affect rail traffic from Virginia through New England. It is advising customers to expect delays of at least 72 hours.

United Parcel Service Inc has been rerouting packages and airplanes since the weekend. This morning it suspended delivery in Delaware, Maryland and Washington, D.C., but dispatched delivery trucks in Manhattan, Connecticut, Westchester County, Nassau County and Suffolk County.

Airlines may be the most affected. So far more than 11,500 flights for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday have been scrapped,. About 6,800 of those were Monday flights.

What impact could all this have on supply chains just as goods are arriving for the holiday season? To put it in perspective, Katrina, which caused considerable and long-term disruption was a Category 5 hurricane while Sandy is Category 1.