Hurricane Isabel Disrupts Transportation Network

As the outer fringes of Hurricane Isabel reached North Carolina on Thursday morning, the freight transportation network was already being affected, news services reported.

The hurricane was expected to make landfall early Thursday afternoon and then head north through Virginia and swipe Washington, D.C., as its moves northwest.

Governors in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware have already declared states of emergency. Many of the affected area were preparing for flooding, which could potentially shut down roads used by trucks to deliver goods.

The Virginia Port Authority closed ports at Norfolk, Portsmouth and Newport News until Friday and North Carolina ports at Morehead City and Wilmington have already been closed through Friday.

Norfolk Southern Corp., the second-largest Eastern freight railroad, halted trains headed for eastern North Carolina and Virginia and stationed work crews in the areas to repair tracks that may be damaged, Bloomberg reported. In addition, Amtrak canceled all train service south of Washington, excluding trains in Florida.

US Airways canceled hundreds of flights -- serving airports in North Carolina, Virginia and the Washington airports -- ahead of the storm. Passenger planes often carry cargo in their bellies.

Bloomberg also said some oil refiners along the East Coast were temporarily cutting back operations in preparation for the storm.

10636