Superstorm Sandy is already having an impact on the supply chain for the Christmas 2012 holiday season.

According to Stephanie Clifford and Nelson D. Schwartz, writing for the New York Times: “The economic effects of Hurricane Sandy are reverberating beyond areas hit by the storm as businesses warn customers of delays, try to get merchandise out of closed ports, and face canceled orders. The supply chain is backing up at a crucial time, just as retailers normally bring their final shipments into stores for the holiday shopping season, which retailers depend on for annual profitability. ‘Things are slowing down,’ said Chris Merritt, vice-president for retail supply chain solutions at the trucking company Ryder. ‘This whole part of the supply chain is clogged up.’ FedEx, for example, has rented fuel tankers to supply its delivery trucks as commercial gas stations run dry. Ryder has been hunting down rental trucks to add capacity.'”

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Angel Franco/New York Times