WILMINGTON, N.C. — Used-vehicle auctions have started resuming regular business hours following the effects of Hurricane Florence, which had less of an impact on the U.S vehicle market than hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017.
Manheim Wilmington is reopening on Friday, Sept. 28, after closing operations last week in preparation of Hurricane Florence, according to Tim Janego, Manheim's regional vice president of the Northeast region. However, parts of Wilmington remain submerged, with some waterways still rising, according to The Herald Sun.
Manheim is operating regular business hours for its other locations in North Carolina and South Carolina. It also previously shifted in-lane sales to digital sales at Manheim North Carolina in Kenly; however, the auction has resumed regular business hours, according to Janego. Manheim Statesville and Manheim Charlotte in North Carolina and Manheim Darlington in South Carolina maintained regular business hours during the hurricane.
The area of Carolinas affected by Hurricane Florence is less densely populated than storms that reached Texas and Florida last year.
“We have not heard of any significant damage caused by Florence at major auto auctions in the area,” said Anil Goyal, executive vice president of operations at Black Book.
An estimated 20,000 to 40,000 vehicles could be lost due to flooding in the Carolinas, according to Cox Automotive.
Hurricane Florence was similar to Hurricane Harvey in terms of establishing record-setting rainfall. However, Florence was more accurately predicted, which resulted in more successful advance warnings and evacuations. Even though the number of damaged vehicles from Hurricane Florence is relatively low, it creates an immediate demand for a replacement vehicle, Goyal said.
