Hurricane Dorian: A look at the billion-dollar ports in the storm's path
Mandatory evacuations are in place and emergency shelters are open as the powerful storm threatens coastal Florida; Rick Leventhal reports from Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Hurricane Dorian crawled its way through the Bahamas over the weekend with winds of around 155 mph, appearing poised to make a northeasterly turn which would take it up the East coast of the United States—directly past some of the nation’s most important ports.
Shipping through the ports of Jacksonville, Savannah, Charleston, and Wilmington could be affected by the storm, with the combined trade going through these ports annually amounting to over $220 billion.
Jacksonville is the largest city by population in the state of Florida. The city is located on the St. Johns River in the northeast of Florida.
Port of Jacksonville, Florida
In the 2017 fiscal year, over 9.3 million tons of goods were shipped through the Port of Jacksonville, this equates to the equivalent of over one million 20ft containers and almost 700,000 automobiles. According to a census of trade, the value of those goods totaled $25.3 billion—$5.9 billion worth exports and $19.4 billion in imports.
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for Jacksonville’s coastal areas (Zones A and B) starting at 8am. The Port of Jacksonville has also been closed to incoming vessles.
Savannah, Georgia is the fourth largest port in the United States.
Port of Savannah, Georgia
Shipping the equivalent of over 4.3 million 20ft containers in 2018, Savannah is the United States' fourth-largest port in the nation, in terms of value.
In 2017, the total values of goods transferred through the Port of Savannah topped $107 billion, comprised of over $76 billion in imports and $31.5 billion in exports, according to statistics compiled by the South Carolina Port Authority.
Governor Brian Kemp ordered the evacuation of Georgia’s six coastal counties east of Interstate 95 beginning at noon on Monday and Georgia ports will be closed in preparation for the storm.
Charleston, South Carolina skyline over the Ashley River.
Port of Charleston, South Carolina
The eighth-largest port in the United States as of 2017, Charleston ships nearly $70 billion in goods annually. Of this, imports account for $45 billion while exports account for nearly $25 billion, according to the South Carolina Port Authority.
South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster issued a mandatory evacuation order for his state’s 830,000 coastal residents as of 12pm Monday.
Downtown Wilmington along the banks of the Cape Fear River
Port of Wilmington, North Carolina
Though its considered the smallest on this list, the Port of Wilmington accommodated $17.7 billion worth of goods through its terminal in 2018, according to a study done by North Carolina State University. Wilmington is the primary port of the growing North Carolina economy, exporting the state’s grains, chemical products, and automotive parts.
Several counties along the North Carolina coast have declared a State of Emergency, in expectation of Hurricane Dorian, reported the Charlotte Observer, however, at the time of this article’s publication, the governor of North Carolina had not issued any evacuation orders.
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