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Port of Wilmington sustained $50 million in Florence damage
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WILMINGTON, NC (StarNews) — Warehouse walls sheared away. Containers tossed about. Roof sections torn from buildings.
Hurricane Florence ripped through the Port of Wilmington, ultimately causing an estimated $50 million in damage, Executive Director Paul Cozza said.
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But the damage could have been more extensive had Florence’s winds not suddenly diminished from 130 mph to 90 mph as it approached the coast, he said, and the port welcomed its first ship six days after Florence made landfall and was nearly fully operational by Sept. 24 — train service from CSX still hadn’t resumed as of Wednesday.
“It could have been a lot worse,” Cozza said Tuesday. “We were very fortunate compared to what could have happened.”