In a show of resiliency, strength and determination, most of the U.S. Gulf Coast seaports impacted by back-to-back hurricanes this past season have returned their operations to at or near what they were before the storms hit in August and September.  Even those with the most extensive damage are reporting significant progress toward accommodating the normal volumes of freight and passengers on which their communities and the nation depend.

 �I�m awed at the speed at which these hurricane-ravaged ports have worked to bring their operations back on line, � reports Kurt Nagle, American Association of Port Authorities president and CEO.   �America�s seaports make up the backbone of our economy, so the faster they can get back to normal operations after a disaster, the better off we are as a nation.  The men and women who run these ports are showing terrific leadership in the face of daunting challenges.�

Examples of ports with operations at or near pre-hurricane levels include the Texas port of Beaumont; the Louisiana ports of Lake Charles and Fourchon; and the Alabama State Port Authority at Mobile. 

Port of Beaumont Executive Port Director David  �Chris� Fisher notes his port is back to 100 percent of operational capacity after being hard-hit by Hurricane Rita, while Adam McBride, Port of Lake Charles� port director, offered a similar report, noting that all road and rail connections are fully functional again, and the port�s workforce has returned to handle all cargo.

At the southern tip of Louisiana, Greater Lafourche Port Commission Executive Director Ted Falgout reports the petroleum-handling facilities at Port Fourchon are about 90 percent back to normal.  Although not all storm damage has been repaired, Falgout reports that all berths at his port are fully functional and extremely busy as a result of damage to the neighboring petroleum service bases of Venice and Cameron.

Further east, Alabama State Port Authority Director and CEO James Lyons says the Port of Mobile was open for business and handling vessels the Saturday following Hurricane Katrina.  He estimates the Port of Mobile is now 95 percent functional, with repairs completed in most areas and the balance to be finished by late spring or early summer.

Louisiana�s renowned Port of New Orleans and the two largest ports along the Mississippi Gulf Coast � Pascagoula and Gulfport � received the storms� largest impacts.

Gary LaGrange, Port of New Orleans� president and CEO, reports that his port has seen the return of about half of its normal activity and about 60 percent of its normal trucking activity, even though approximately one-third of the port�s infrastructure was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina.