Dive Brief:

• Hurricane Dorian will likely approach the Florida peninsula this weekend with high winds beginning Saturday and increasing into Sunday. The National Hurricane Center predicts six to 12 inches of rain in areas of the U.S. affected by the storm as Dorian will likely "slow down considerably as it approaches the Florida peninsula," increasing the threat of dangerous flooding.
• The U.S. Coast Guard has set Port Condition X-Ray for the ports of Jacksonville, Miami, Canaveral and Key West, meaning gale force winds are expected within 48 hours. The ports of Savannah and Brunswick are at Port Condition Whiskey, meaning high winds are expected with 72 hours.
• "Mariners are reminded there are no safe havens in these facilities, and ports are safest when the inventory of vessels is at a minimum. All ocean-going commercial vessels and ocean-going barges greater than 500 gross tons should make plans for departing the port,” said a Coast Guard press release.

Dive Insight:

Dorian's impact on Puerto Rico was much smaller than originally forecasted. According to Resilience360, the storm caused no major damage on the island and the 23,000 residents without power should regain service in short order. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, canceled over 100 outbound and inbound flights ahead of the storm and freight forwarder YRC temporarily closed, meaning some cargo will certainly be delayed getting out of YRC's San Juan terminal.

The storm is now moving Northwest as it grows stronger. Dorian will likely progress into a Category 4 storm.

The Labor Day holiday Monday means freight movement was likely already going to be low this weekend, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) has issued an emergency declaration for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Florida, like Puerto Rico, plays a significant role in life sciences and medical device manufacturing, so these supply chains may face disruptions in coming days.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis requested Thursday evening that President Trump declare a "pre-landfall disaster" for Florida's 67 counties. Also Thursday, the governor activated 2,500 of Florida's national guard troops. There are no evacuation orders in effect as of Friday midday.

The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) is coordinating need for logistics services here.