a new report for the movement of critical supply chains, food, fuel, clean water, and medical supplies and equipment, during a hurricane

In the wake of these storms and natural disasters, the researchers from the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab have created a new report for the movement of critical supply chains, food, fuel, clean water, and medical supplies and equipment, during a hurricane and how these supply chains might be better directed during future disasters.

The report is a summary of the MIT roundtable discussion, “Supply Chain Resilience: Restoring Business Operations Following a Hurricane,” held last December. The discussion brought in 40 supply chain leaders from both the public and private sectors to discuss the challenges that were brought about by the 2017 hurricane season, which has proven to be one of the worst in U.S. history since 1900. The discussion focused on the need for better ways to share information and coordinate resources and how that could accelerate the restoration of business operations.

“The discussions revealed potential opportunities for improvement, especially in the realm of business-government coordination. For example, pre-crisis supply chain mapping and post-crisis visibility may enable better management of resources. In cases where detailed real-time data is impractical, aggregate indicators and sentinel data sources could provide timely, actionable insights. Better relationships among businesses and the many government agencies in all levels of jurisdictions could improve coordination in a crisis. Although the future of disasters may be dynamic and unbounded, research, development, and rehearsal of resilience strategies can help mitigate the black swans to come,” MIT News says.

Transportation Breakdown

In addition to a number of businesses being closed due to loss of power or structural damage, there are some severe disruptions to transportation as a result of major hurricanes. Ocean transportation can be seriously disrupted by major storms. The port of Wilmington, for example, and the port of Charleston, just to the south, only recently reopened and resumed intermodal travel for freight.

The problem is that port closures can cause some significant delays for general freight transportation, even to areas that aren’t necessarily affected by the storm. Freight has to be rerouted to another port which can cause some heavy congestion during the loading and unloading phase. In addition to that delay, the freight now has a longer distance to travel before reaching its intended destination. Hurricanes also bring on a tremendous amount of flooding which can shut down city infrastructures as well as closing off major roadways. The roads that are open are often heavily congested with traffic which can all but shut down transportation into these areas.

Temporary Regulation Repeal Should be Permanent Says Truckers

Of course, safety is also a concern for the trucking industry, but with the Hours of Service ruling and the Electronic Logging Device mandate, truckers are having to operate on a very tight schedule. This means spending time in rest stops and hotels while storm victims are left waiting for their supplies. Fortunately, the FMCSA granted blanket exceptions to the HoS regulation for any drivers carrying relief supplies for those that have been affected by Hurricane Florence.

Weather-related waivers are routine, says Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). “It’s done for storms, whether it be for floods or hurricanes, it’s done for snow or dramatically cold weather. We watch with great interest in looking for the mushroom clouds. We don’t see them. Safety doesn’t go to hell.”

With the current ruling, once the driver starts the clock, they have to work their 14-hour block. This means a driver can’t take an extended break or wait for traffic to clear up. This combined with the ELD’s that are now required on freight haulers means that even moving the truck across the parking lot starts the clock running with no way to stop it.

Help Your Supply Chain Weather Out the Storm

Given that hurricanes can severely disrupt daily operations, it’s important to take precautions ahead of time:

• Know when they’re going to happen: Hurricane season begins June 1st and runs until November 1st. During that time, it’s important to monitor storms that could develop into something worse.

• Increase Your Visibility: Visibility plays a huge role in protecting the supply chain. The more you know about your freight movements, the easier it is to reroute in an emergency.

• Plan Ahead: Making contingency plans ahead of time can save a lot of hassle and heartache later on. Having the right systems in place and understanding your operations from top to bottom is crucial — not just during natural disasters, but for day-to-day operations.

• Get Help: Consider working with a 3PL to help manage your transportation needs. Freight capacity in the U.S. is scarce — and during natural disasters, capacity becomes even tighter as it’s needed for disaster relief efforts. This makes capacity windows shrink and spot rates rise, which can make hurricanes costly for many businesses. Working with a 3PL like BlueGrace can help secure capacity and enhance your ability to book freight.