Hurricane Isaias Trucking Alert: Flooded Roads After Landfall

What happened

This Hurricane Isaias trucking alert is about what comes after the wind. The storm made landfall Friday near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane. Then it got weak fast as it moved north through Alabama.

By 4 a.m. Central on Saturday, Oct. 10, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) called it a post-tropical cyclone. It was about 25 miles southwest of Montgomery, Alabama, with 35 mph winds. All storm surge and tropical storm warnings are over.

But the trouble on the road is not over:

• Power: more than 726,000 customers had no power in Florida and Alabama early Saturday, the Associated Press reported.
• Roads: flooded roads were reported in Destin and in Houston County, Alabama. Some Houston County roads were closed by debris. Trees and power lines are down across the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama.
• Rain: the NHC expects 4 to 8 inches in southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia. A few spots could get up to 15 inches.
• Floods: flash floods and river floods are possible. The NHC says big impacts are likely in much of southern Alabama and the Panhandle.
• Tornadoes: a risk continues through Saturday afternoon in the eastern Panhandle, Georgia and the Carolinas.

The system should cross Alabama into the Tennessee Valley through Sunday and then fade out.

What it means for owner-operators

The wind is gone, but this is when many trucks get hurt. Water over a road hides washed-out pavement. Debris cuts tires. Dark traffic lights cause crashes. And rivers can keep rising for days after the rain stops.

No power also means some fuel stations cannot pump and some shippers and receivers are closed. You can drive four hours to a dock that is dark.

Water damage to a truck or a load can be an expensive problem. How it is handled depends on your policy, so know yours.

What to do next

• Call before you go. Confirm with your broker that the shipper or receiver is open.
• Check state road maps: FL511 for Florida, ALGO Traffic for Alabama and 511GA for Georgia.
• Fuel up before the storm zone. Do not count on stations without power.
• Never drive into water. Turn around. You cannot see what is under it.
• Watch for crews and lines down. Slow down in the dark.
• Take photos of your truck and load before and after, with the time.
• Know your coverage. Our trucking insurance coverage guide explains physical damage and cargo in plain words.