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Amazon had donated more than 1.5 million items for victims of the Category 4 storm that hit Florida in early October to charities like the Red Cross and South Florida disaster nonprofit Global Empowerment Mission.

Trucking companies, government entities and nonprofit groups responded to the devastation wrought along Florida’s Gulf Coast by Hurricane Ian last month with relief efforts for the many areas affected by the storm, and are working to overcome challenges in getting aid to those in need.

Motor carriers transporting relief supplies to regions of Florida and South Carolina affected by Hurricane Ian are working with a variety of emergency vehicle size and weight exemptions in effect in neighboring states, moves made by governors and state agencies looking to help speed relief supplies to storm-ravaged areas.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A revived Hurricane Ian made landfall on coastal South Carolina on Sept. 30, threatening the historic city of Charleston with severe flooding after the deadly storm caused catastrophic damage in Florida and trapped thousands in their homes.

President Joe Biden on Sept. 28 warned oil and gas companies against increasing prices for consumers as Hurricane Ian neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hurricane Ian rapidly intensified as it neared landfall along Florida’s southwest coast Sept. 28, gaining top winds of 155 mph (250 kph), just shy of the most dangerous Category 5 status. Damaging winds and rain lashed the state, and the heavily populated Naples to Sarasota region was at highest risk of a devastating storm surge.

HOUSTON — Tropical Storm Nicholas gathered strength Sept. 13 and threatened to blow ashore in Texas as a hurricane that could bring up to 20 inches of rain to parts of the Gulf Coast, including the same area hit by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and storm-battered Louisiana.

The ports of New Orleans, Baton Rouge and South Louisiana, vital in terms of shipping grain commodities worldwide, have been shut down, and there is no timetable for when they will reopen.

Louisiana communities battered by Ida faced a new danger as they began the massive task of clearing debris and repairing damage from the storm: the possibility of weeks without power in the stifling, late-summer heat.

Hours-of-service flexibility for truckers involved in critical relief efforts is one element of the federal government’s response to Tropical Depression Ida.