Port of Wilmington sustained $50 million in Florence damage
Hurricane
But the damage could have been more extensive had
"It could have been a lot worse," Cozza said Tuesday. "We were very fortunate compared to what could have happened."
He said the port's cranes and berths suffered no damage and that assessment teams, including from the ports, the
"This was all part of that team effort," Cozza said. "It was really something."
But the storm did cause significant damage, primarily to warehouses dating to World War II that likely will have to be replaced and make up the lion's share of the estimated damage.
Most of the damage repairs will be covered by insurance, said ports spokeswoman
The port has since cleaned up 160 containers that were blown over and damaged when
Each empty container weighs 7,000 pounds, he said, making the storm's impact -- port officials said it caused more damage that any storm in at least the past 40 years -- impressive despite its weakened state when it hit the coast, Cozza said.
The storm "pushed them around like they were little toys," he said. "It looked like a war scene."
Cozza said reopening the port was deemed critical as roads into and out of
"The real push was getting the waterways open for that initial safety cargo if we had needed to do it," he said.
While that need didn't materialize --
"The business doesn't stop," Cozza added. "These ships are constantly moving."
Reporter
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