Brief Summary:
- UPS, FedEx, and U.S Postal Service announce delays in Florida
- Hurricane Ian advancing northwards on the East coast with Georgia and North Carolina also hit, and warehouse flooding is expected.
- Creative leadership is demanded of supply chain executives in the face of disaster.
As Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida this week, the aftermath has been flooding and damage to property in more than 800 zip codes. Supply chains are also among the affected by the hurricane and the menace that comes with it.
On Thursday, major logistics services, including The US Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx, suspended operations temporarily in several Florida state cities. Among those affected include Miami, Tampa, and Orlando.
More Delays
The companies warn of delays in deliveries until the danger can be averted. The mind-boggling thing is that this ‘temporary’ delay has no definite end and will depend on how the weather improves in the next few days or weeks.
Industry experts now warn that these delays could adversely affect supply chains, with deliveries now halted and warehouses at risk of flooding. Port services have also been at a standstill, which only serves to exacerbate the situation.
Supply Chain Challenges Get Worse on the East Coast
Hurricane Ian has been advancing north, with South Carolina and Georgia other states expected to be hard hit going into the weekend. With an already escalated supply chain lag, other states suffering the ravages of Hurricane Ian only means more delays and a call for supply chain executives to brace for further challenges.
These current supply chain logjams are happening when the US economy is trying to reel itself from an unprecedented supply chain disruptions rabbit hole that only seems to get worse.
Innovative Supply Chain Leadership to the Rescue
A slow recovery from the issues caused by the pandemic, a record four-decade high inflation, and the looming UK rail strikes are just a few of the unique problems that supply chain execs must now find creative solutions for.
Clear and intimate communication with clients and suppliers, expedited disaster management measures in flooding warehouses, and empathetic employee welfare management will all contribute to averting more problems as Hurricane Ian rages on.