US Eastern Seaboard picks itself up after storm and reopens for business

THE Port Authority of New York and New Jersey continued to keep its harbour facilities closed pending the drainage of the flood and safety inspections, but other facilities were reopening as flood waters drained away.

Shippers in Asia should expect delays for air and ocean shipments to the US in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which has devastated parts of eastern seaboard, striking hard at New York and New Jersey.

Tug and barge movement was authorised to and from anchorages and river anchorages were restricted to tug and barge traffic only. Cargo transfer operations were to resume after facility assessments and US Coast Guard checks.

Saltwater from New York's East River had flowed into the subway tunnels, possibly creating long-term damage to the subway system. The West Side Yards were still flooded. Saltwater from the Hudson River also flooded the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.

New York reopened the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson, reconnecting a critical route to and from New England and the west.

Pennsylvania lifted speed and vehicle restrictions on highways in the southern and central part of the state, though not in the northwest. New Jersey's Garden State Parkway reopened, but the New Jersey Turnpike north of Interchange 14 in Newark remained closed Tuesday morning local time.

Further south, the Maryland Port Administration said the Baltimore terminal would remained closed, reported American Shipper. Norfolk missed the worst of the storm and the Virginia Port Authority said all state-owned terminals would be open for business from 8am, but there would be no vessel operations until the US Coast Guard gave the all clear.

But lightering was still not permitted there. Nor was bunkering in the anchorage areas of the lower Delaware Bay. Mariners were directed to exercise extreme caution as aids to navigation may be off or malfunctioning.

Maryland reopened and Delaware resumed toll collection on I-95 at noon, but many smaller roads in the state still were partially or completely blocked by water.

"Motor carriers will be able to interchange empty containers, but will have to do so at the main terminals because the empty yards are still in storm preparedness mode. We anticipate the opening of the Norfolk and Portsmouth empty yards," said a Virginia Port Authority statement.

The Norfolk Southern railroad said customers from Virginia to New England should expect delays of at least 72 hours. The storm is also reportedly causing blizzard conditions in the Midwest on the western edges of the storm.

Even as the recovery slowly begins, officials across the region urged caution when it comes to travel. "Now is not the time to fall into a comfort zone, even as the weather changes," Maryland State Highway Administrator Melinda Peters said.