Florida airports shut down, cancellations rise as hurricane nears

In anticipation of Category-4 Hurricane Matthew, which is expected to churn up the east coast of Florida this afternoon, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport officially closed at 10:30 a.m. local time today, while Miami International Airport announced on twitter that 646 flights were canceled and most flights would cease by noon, while noting that MIA technically remains “open.”

(Editor’s Note: Air Cargo World’s ELEVATE Conference on Monday, Oct. 10, and the Cargo Facts Symposium on Oct. 11-12, are well outside the danger zone in Miami and both are expected to start on time, as planned. To join us for networking and a lively discussion of logistics innovation next week, please click here for details.)

“Upon suspension of services, airport guests will no longer be allowed into the airport. Please seek alternate shelter locations during this time, as the airport is not a shelter,” the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport said in a statement. “At this time, we have not determined when services will be restored.”

On the express side, both UPS and FedEx have issued notices that service delays and interruptions are expected. FedEx is “closely monitoring Hurricane Matthew. Contingency plans are in place to ensure the safety and well-being of our team members and to minimize the effects of the storm on service,” the company posted on its website this morning.

UPS posted that, “Hurricane Matthew is impacting service in areas of the Southeast this week and our team is monitoring weather conditions. At this time, there will be no pickups or deliveries today in affected areas of South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, where immediate evacuations have been ordered.”

FlightAware.com, a flight-tracking service, indicated early Thursday that 1,494 flights had been canceled to, from and within the United States as of 11:30 EDT. American Airlines has cancelled the most flights, at 438, with another 41 delayed, indicating the scope of the storms impact.

While Hurricane Mathew bears down on the U.S. East Coast, it has already left extensive damage and loss of life in its wake, especially in Haiti, where The Guardian reported a death toll nearing 100, with many areas still beyond the reach of rescue workers due to flooding and infrastructure damage.

International disaster response teams are already moving into the stricken island, including a team from Deutsche Post DHL Group, which is providing logistics support to manage incoming aid at Toussaint L’ouverture International Airport at Port-au-Prince.

DP-DHL’s disaster response team is part of the group’s GoHelp disaster management program, which provides the United Nations with pro bono access to its core logistics expertise, global transportation network and the logistics skills of more than 400 specially trained employees, who can deploy within 72 hours.