Ports batten down the hatches as Hanna runs up coast

Ports batten down the hatches as Hanna runs up coast As Tropical Storm Hanna begins to travel north along the East Coast, ports are preparing for the storm.
   ' The U.S. Coast Guard closed the ports of Savannah and Brunswick, Ga., to all inbound vessel traffic Friday morning.
   ' South Carolina State Ports Authority said it was finalizing preparations for winds and rain and that at noon common user gates in the Port of Charleston were closed. It said vessel work and cargo handling operations ceased by 2 p.m.
   ' Based on current projections, SCSPA said, “The tropical storm is expected to pass quickly across the coast tonight through the early hours of Saturday, Sept. 6. Vessel operations are expected to resume at around 1 p.m. on Saturday for vessels at the dock. The harbor is expected to reopen during the day on Saturday pending Coast Guard’s survey of the main channel. Gate operations will resume on Monday, Sept. 8.”
   ' North Carolina State Port facilities in Charlotte, Morehead City and Wilmington “continue working to secure the terminals” and at noon, both ports and the Charlotte Inland Terminal were closed to commercial traffic and all non-emergency ports authority employees were released.
   North Carolina said “as soon as conditions permit, the ports authority intends to resume normal business operations. The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will determine the navigability and safety of waterways, and the resumption of vessel traffic at the ports.”