Recovering from Hurricane Florence: The Resources that Fleet Managers Need

Over the weekend, Hurricane Florence unleashed devastation on the Carolinas. Though the storm has now been downgraded to a Tropical Depression, hazardous conditions will continue to affect the area for several days. As Fleet Managers begin to assess the situation, here are updates on post-hurricane conditions.

As of Monday morning, almost a half million customers were still without power, mostly in North Carolina. Downed power lines are also making for treacherous road conditions with officials from the North Carolina Department of Transportation urging evacuees to wait to return to their homes until it is declared safe to do so. A number of sewer systems have been overwhelmed, leading to contaminated floodwaters, and a CSX train derailed in Anson County, N.C. on Sunday night, spilling an unknown volume of diesel fuel, according to the Washington Post.

Everywhere, officials repeat the same words: do not drive around barricades. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division reminded drivers via Twitter that almost half of all flood fatalities occur in vehicles and a mere two feet of water can sweep away a car, truck, or SUV.

To help fleet managers and owner/operators navigate treacherous post- Hurricane Florence conditions, WEX Fleet has gathered these resources:

For no-nonsense survival tips, follow the South Carolina Emergency Management Division on Twitter.

For a detailed map of rainfall and power outages in North and South Carolina, visit this Impact Map from the New York Times.

Locate operational gas stations using the WEX Connect mobile app.

Twitter accounts for Hurricane Florence updates:

North Carolina Department of Transportation: https://twitter.com/NCDOT

South Carolina Department of Transportation: https://twitter.com/SCDOTPress

WEX Fleet: https://twitter.com/WEXFleet

FEMA Region 4 (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN): https://twitter.com/femaregion4

FEMA Region 3 (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, & WV): https://twitter.com/FEMAregion3

Tips for fleet managers:

How to Prepare Your Fleet for a Natural Disaster

4 Ways to Adapt to Changing Fuel Prices