From: David
Hickmott [DHickmott@uli-atl.com]
Sent: Tuesday,
January 29, 2008 10:52 AM
To: Jeff
Smith
Cc: David
Hickmott; David Hickmott
Subject: FW:
China weather Crisis
Dear
Valued Unique Customer,
This
will definitely impact transportation. ULI will monitor the Pick-Up and
departure dates. In these types of situations, the dates will likely
change as a result of the weather + the additional volumes from CNY.
Kindly be aware of potential delays. If any questions about your specific
shipment, please do not hesitate to contact your local ULI operations customer
service representative.
Thank you for your support of Unique Logistics
International. We appreciate and value your business!
Best
Regards
David
Hickmott - Executive Vice President
ph#404-767-0500
(ext 306)
Mobile#
678-478-6604
Fax#
404-767-3319
BEIJING,
China (CNN) -- At least 25 people were killed when a bus plunged off
an icy road in China Tuesday, as the worst winter weather in half a century
threw the peak travel season into chaos and led to an emergency meeting of the
Communist Party Politburo.
I-Reporter Cindy Van Den Heuvel says there
are few vehicles on the road in Nanjing, China.
1 of 3
Hundreds
of thousands of travelers are stranded ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and
even plans by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to travel to the center of the country
to help direct disaster relief were disrupted.
The
snow in central, eastern and southern China has caused roofs to collapse and
has made traveling treacherous, leading to at least 49 deaths, the Ministry of
Civil Affairs and local officials said.
About
827,000 people have been evacuated in 14 provinces since January 10, the
ministry said, and damages were estimated at 22 billion yuan ($3 billion). Nearly
78 million people live in the 14 provinces.
Wen
flew out of Beijing en route to Hunan province on Monday night, but had to
detour to neighboring Hubei province because of the bad weather. He completed
his trip by train, arriving in Changsha City, Hunan's capital, on Tuesday
morning, the Xinhua news agency reported.
He
met with local officials to map out disaster plans.
Millions
of Chinese migrant workers travel every year between the cities where they work
and their homes in the countryside to celebrate the Spring Festival on February
7 -- a time when Chinese traditionally return to their families, Xinhua
reported, putting intense pressure on the country's transport network. 
Watch gridlock
at Beijing's main railway station »
An
estimated 500,000 passengers were stuck at the Guangzhou train station as heavy
snowfall knocked out power and greatly slowed rail operations in Hunan
province, along a line serving Beijing and Guangzhou, Chinese media reported.
Armed police were deployed to keep order.
The
Politburo meeting Tuesday was chaired by President Hu Jintao, The Associated
Press reported. It discussed warnings of further severe weather.
Don't
Miss
·
Beijing begins
Olympic countdown
·
Special report: Eco Solutions
·
I-Report: Send us your
stories, photos
Guangdong
railway authorities said traffic on the Beijing-Guangzhou line probably would
not return to normal for most of the week.
Early
Tuesday, a passenger bus plunged off a slippery mountain road in southwestern China's
Guizhou province, killing at least 25 people and injuring 13 others, Xinhua
reported.
Provincial
officials said the bus veered off an icy, snow-packed highway near Zunyi City
around 7:40 a.m. and fell into a valley more than 100 feet (40 meters) deep.
Chinese
Ministry of Public Safety spokesman Wu Heping said nearly 1 million police have
been dispatched to help keep roadways open.
Airports
in at least 10 cities were closed temporarily on Monday, and adding to the
woes, seven of the eight highways connecting Guangdong and Hunan provinces have
been cut off, Xinhua reported.
During
the two weeks before and after the Lunar New Year, more than 177 million
Chinese are expected to travel by train, and 22 million more by plane, the
official English-language newspaper China Daily has reported. E-mail to a
friend 
Jeff Smith
Operations Manager
Unique Logistics International (ATL) Inc.
510 Plaza Drive
Suite 2290
Atlanta, Ga 30349
Phone: (678)365-6008
Telefax: (404)767-4777
Cell: (678)592-1403
e-mail: jsmith@uli-atl.com