Hurricane Isaias strengthens as US Gulf Coast prepares for landfall
USO•Hurricane Isaias strengthened to 85 mph and was forecast to reach near Category 3 strength, with winds of 110 mph, before Gulf Coast landfall. About 63% of Gulf oil production and 57% of natural gas output had been shut in.
1. Storm approaches Gulf Coast
Isaias strengthened on Thursday as it moved toward the US Gulf Coast, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. The National Hurricane Center forecast winds of 110 mph on Friday before landfall late Friday or early Saturday, and warned the storm would be dangerous.
2. Oil and gas shut-ins
Personnel were evacuated from 121 production platforms and five rigs, the Marine Minerals Administration said. About 1.3 million barrels of oil a day, or 63% of Gulf production, and just over 1.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day, or about 57% of regional output, had been shut in. A model forecast estimated about 9 million barrels of oil production could be lost during the storm.
3. Warnings and evacuations
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for coastal areas of Okaloosa County, Florida, and Alabama declared an emergency covering 40 counties. Hurricane warnings stretched from coastal Mississippi through Alabama to the Florida panhandle; forecasters warned of storm surges of 5 to 7 feet and rainfall of 3 to 7 inches, with isolated totals of 15 inches.
