By Loretta Wolf
The collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, Md., was such a shock and very emotional for the staff of the Material Resources program of the Church of the Brethren. The loss of lives and loss of a critical bridge were on our minds.
Now, almost three weeks later, alternate plans are being explored for shipments of relief goods from our warehouse facilities at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md. We cannot ship from the Baltimore port. The port in New York will be the next best option, as it receives ships destined for the locations we ship to, and has the capability to load. This will add to the cost of shipments, however, due to the distance, and will cause delays due to booking availability. There will also be additional cost for fumigation.
The containers for our shipments will be delivered from the port in New York to the warehouse in New Windsor. The shipments will then be loaded and fumigated and must sit overnight. The truck driver then returns to New Windsor to pick up the container and deliver it. Normally the truckers are from this area, so it is more convenient and adds minimal cost. Using the New York port will most likely triple the cost of trucking, and it will be more difficult to get bookings through New York due to the additional workload this situation requires.
We are working diligently with the forwarder to move shipments as quickly as possible, but it will take time. Meanwhile the storage area in the Material Resources warehouse increases. Beginning the last week of April, the spring pickups by Church World Service (CWS) will take place for four weeks, and those incoming donations will need to be stored until processed. Our hope is that a couple of containers can be moved before that time.
We look forward to the Baltimore port reopening possibly in May.
— Loretta Wolf is director of Material Resources for the Church of the Brethren, working out of warehouse facilities at the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
———-
Find more Church of the Brethren news: