The US Coast Guard has returned the ports of Gulfport and Pascagoula in Mississippi to port condition normal following the passage of Hurricane Isaias.
The coast guard initially listed Mobile, Panama City and Port St. Joe as in recovery with some restrictions. Destin and Pensacola remained at port condition zulu, with vessel traffic restricted while crews assessed storm impacts and navigation hazards.
The Alabama Port Authority said the coast guard established port condition normal for Mobile effective 16:00 on Saturday, October 10. The authority said access gates, ship activity and administrative offices have returned to their regular schedules.
A later Coast Guard Sector Mobile update listed Pensacola, Destin, Panama City and Port St. Joe in recovery status. Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) miles 167–376 were also in recovery. GIWW miles 44.5–166 were listed as normal.
Under recovery status, commercial vessel movements remain suspended and recreational vessels of 65 feet (19.8 metres) or more are restricted. Land-based waterfront facility operations are permitted. Restrictions will stay in place until channel surveys and damage assessments deem the affected channels safe for transit.
The coast guard has deployed seven teams to verify aids to navigation and five teams to assess facilities. Another five teams are handling communications, with support from a deployable command-centre truck and a Rescue 21 Remote Fixed Facility as they work to re-establish VHF coverage. MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft are conducting aerial assessments.
At about 20:30 local time on Friday, October 9, Isaias reached the shore near Destin as a Category 2 hurricane, with sustained winds peaking at 105 mph (169 km/h).
Ahead of the storm, Shell and Chevron shut in offshore production at several Gulf of Mexico facilities.