Gulf Ports Shut as Downgraded Ida Lands

With much of the U.S. Gulf Coast hunkered down against Tropical Storm Ida, the Coast Guard on Tuesday set Port Condition Zulu for the Mobile Sector, essentially closing the ports of Gulfport, Pascagoula, Mobile, Pensacola, and Panama City to all vessel traffic except for vessel movements and activities specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port.

The storm hit landfall early Tuesday, downgraded sharply from its hurricane status, with winds diminishing to 35 miles an hour. Once labeled a hurricane, Ida was downgraded Tuesday from a tropical storm to a tropical depression. 

Although ports and waterborne traffic was largely idled as the storm headed north toward the coast from the Gulf of Mexico, officials said it appeared Ida did little damage to coastal communities. 

A command consisting of federal, state and local agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was set for the coastal region, called Coast Guard Sector Mobile.

Personnel, aircraft and vessels needed to conduct day-to-day operations as well as to respond to Hurricane Ida have been positioned to track aids-to-navigation, conduct limited search and rescue, and be ready to open the waterway to commerce once Ida passed through the area.

Contact Janet Nodar at jcnodar@bellsouth.net.