The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Hampton Roads has reopened the ports in Virginia, which saw limited impacts after Hurricane Florence made landfall as a category 1 storm on Friday morning.
“Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads is coordinating very closely with our port partners to ensure a quick and safe recovery from Hurricane Florence,” said Capt. Kevin Carroll, the commander of Sector Hampton Roads. “Our number one priority is saving lives and preventing life-endangering activities on our waterways. After that, restoring the free-flow of vessel traffic is a top priority, and we realize that our port and personnel could be critical in assisting areas that were more heavily impacted by the storm.”
“Multi-agency coordination is how we maintain the strength and security of this vital military strategic and commercial port,” said Bill Burket, the director of The Port of Virginia Maritime Incident Response Team. “Our joint preparation and teamwork has allowed us to coordinate with the Coast Guard and port partners to quickly secure and reopen the port for operations vital to the region and our nation.”
The Coast Guard said it will continue to broadcast notice to mariners and send out Marine Safety Information Bulletins to notify the maritime community as needed. All maritime users are requested to monitor the progress of the storm and heed all warnings.