In the Hampton Roads and Richmond metropolitan areas the hurricane itself should not be a major factor until wind and rain start moving into tropical territory between 9PM and early Tuesday morning.
Farther North there is even more time left. North of Richmond wind-speeds should remain below 40 MPH until at least sundown. In the Baltimore area wind speeds are unlikely to approach 40 MPH until midnight or later.
The fuel shortage has been made worse by hoarding and evacuations. But evacuations have also been suppressed by the fuel shortage.
Consumer demand is extraordinary. Grocers, pharmacies, and many other retail operations are reporting never-before-experienced volume.
Some distributors have decided they do not have sufficient fuel to make deliveries today and be able to return to base. But retail clients are pushing for continued deliveries, otherwise some will be stripped bare before noon. (See several prior postings for information on the fuel shortage, especially the discussion under "Hurricane Zachary Forms", scroll UP to see more than 25 comments).
If I am reading your inputs correctly, the mid-Atlantic supply chain is shutting down from the fuel shortage.
ReplyDeleteHurricane Yolanda's take down of refineries and pipeline hundreds of miles from the mid-Atlantic is actually more of a threat to the supply chain than the approach of Zachary. (If I'm overstating, please clarify.)
The lack of fuel is seriously calling into question Monday operations. And unless the supply chain has a big surprise up-its-sleeve, operations after Zachary passes will be even more constrained.
I hope I have misunderstood. Please correct me.
Given the situation you have outlined, many of us won't have fuel. Even if we have fuel, our employees may not. Certainly we will continue to operate as long as we can safely. But without fuel there's not much we can do. Someone else said the supply chain situation is playing out like the fall of France. Actually, I think it could be much more like the Battle of the Bulge, when the PanzerTanks ran out of gas in the middle of the enemy. Would have been much smarter to pull back behind the Rhine and a defensible line.
DeleteAnd... we have to pull back to base in order to have any capacity for recovery after the hurricane. If we lose our people and equipment we won't be of any help.
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