hurricane helene

DOT releases $320M to repair Helene-damaged truck routes

WASHINGTON — The federal government is sending $320 million in emergency funding to North Carolina and Tennessee to help speed the repair of parts of I-40 and I-26, two key truck routes damaged by Hurricane Helene last September.

The funding is part of a $352.6 million “quick release” package for hurricane recovery efforts and is in addition to $167 million initially provided to the two states for emergency relief.

SONAR Critical Events shows continued closures of I-40 in Western North Carolina...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-releases-320m-to-repair-helene-damaged-truck-routes

Texas driver honored as TCA Highway Angel for saving lives in Helene aftermath

The Truckload Carriers Association named a Texas truck driver a Highway Angel after he used his trailer to keep people alive during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Michael Dorsey, 56, of Kingwood, had just finished loading his truck in Erwin, Tennessee, when the town was ravaged by catastrophic and deadly flooding from the Nolichucky River. Dorsey used his trailer to help 11 people seeking refuge from flooding caused by the Category 4 storm that wreaked havoc across the Southeast, notably in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/texas-driver-honored-as-tca-highway-angel-for-saving-lives-in-helene-aftermath

As Helene keeps key roads closed, Trimble’s routing service makes adjustments

Significant closures caused by flooding from Hurricane Helene remain on interstates 26 and 40 on both sides of the North Carolina/Tennessee border, putting the onus on routing software that steers truckers clear of roadways that aren’t available to them.

While there are still hundreds of other road closures in both states, from U.S. highways down to small state roads, the status of the two key interstates serving the western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee region remains mixed.

Closings are...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/as-helene-keeps-key-roads-closed-trimbles-routing-service-makes-adjustments

Hurricane impact on medical manufacturing renews talks on nearshoring, domestic production

While the public eye focuses on Hurricane Milton after its destructive path across Florida this week, some analysts are sounding the alarm about new data from Hurricane Helene’s devastating push into southern Appalachia just two weeks prior.

Healthcare improvement company Premier Inc. (NYSE: PINC) released survey data on Thursday showing more than 86% of U.S. healthcare providers across the country are currently experiencing IV fluids shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

In the report,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/hurricane-impact-on-medical-manufacturing-renews-talks-on-nearshoring-domestic-production

Nonprofits in logistics space speed medical supplies, other aid to Florida

Nonprofit groups loaded with crucial disaster-relief and medical supplies are parked at staging areas in Florida after Hurricane Milton, which was a Category 3 storm when it struck Florida’s Gulf Coast Wednesday night, spread destruction across the state.

Kelby Marlin, transportation director at Convoy of Hope, said the faith-based organization has two tractor-trailer loads of supplies at its staging area in Perry, Florida. That location could change depending on the hurricane’s trajectory.

FedEx...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/nonprofits-in-logistics-space-speed-medical-supplies-other-aid-to-florida

Freight fraud potential ramps up as Milton bears down

With recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene in full swing and Hurricane Milton expected to surge through the middle of Florida on Wednesday, the risk of freight fraud in the trucking sector is reaching new levels.

“Fraudsters never let a crisis go to waste,” Lewie Pugh, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association vice president, told FreightWaves. Independent truckers and owner-operators, with their built-in schedule flexibility, are in prime position to move storm-related emergency...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freight-fraud-potential-ramps-up-as-milton-bears-down

Closures continue on I-40 and I-26 in North Carolina, I-40 in Tennessee

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Some key roads in western North Carolina heavily used by truckers have reopened following the devastation created by Hurricane Helene, but among many other closures, Interstate 40 west of Asheville remains shut and the closure carries into Tennessee.

At a Tuesday press conference, Joey Hopkins, North Carolina’s secretary of transportation, reviewed several key road reopenings while saying that “recovery will take time, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to assess and repair the roads...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/closures-continue-on-i-40-and-i-26-in-north-carolina-i-40-in-tennessee

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