How Tropical Storm Debby Is Threatening Supply Chains

According to reports, Tropical Storm Debby is shuttering ports and affecting supply chains across the Southeast and is likely to continue for days.

Storm’s Pace and Precipitation Combine to Soak the Region

Tropical Storm Debby, originally coined Hurricane Debby, came ashore on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane. 

Although that’s the lowest of the five categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale of wind speeds — and even though Debby has since been downgraded to a tropical storm — the storm’s size, slow pace, and rain volumes have combined to

drench the areas in its path.

How Parts, Products Will Be Impacted 

Rainfall totals from the storm, which forecasters say could reach up to 25 inches in some locations, appear poised to snarl logistics and supply networks in the region.

Some 17,000 industrial facilities are located in the storm’s path, and supply chain monitoring firm Resilinc estimated that it could impact more than 74,000 parts and some 17,500 products. 

Port facilities near Tampa and Jacksonville were closed, SupplyChain247 reports, and other facilities in the area, including major shipping hubs in Savannah and Charleston, could also be interrupted.

Tropical Storm Debby to Remain for Days

Forecasts expect Debby to hover over coastal Georgia and South Carolina for several days before moving out to sea and returning to the Mid-Atlantic region over the weekend.

The storm initially knocked out power to more than 350,000 customers in Florida and Georgia, although the number without power was down to around 155,000 as of midday Tuesday. The storm has been blamed for at least five deaths attributed to fallen trees or traffic fatalities.

Image Credit: Logistics Management