Any word on how this will impact oil production and refining yet? Is it far enough south to bypass the LOOP and refineries on the gulf coast, or is a hit on Galveston just as bad as a hit on NO? It looks like this one won't be as strong as Katrina, so we have that much going for us right now.
Just heard crude is down..
The current track would mean it's pretty harmless for the oil industry, that's why oil is down today. However, so far as Galveston v New Orleans, a hit on Galveston would be far worse for the oil industry than a hit on NO.
Let's hope not, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Katrina became a Cat 1 just before coming ashore south of Ft. Lauderdale, stayed a Cat 1 during her entire trek across Miami-Dade, and dropped briefly back to a TS over extreme western Monroe County. As soon as she entered the gulf, she was back to Cat 1, and just kept intensifying after that. Rita is now a Cat 1 and hasn't yet reached where Katrina entered the gulf.
Here is some information about the oil refineries close to Galveston and Houston. ExxonMobil Baytown has the largest refinery in the USA and many of the large refineries are in the Houston port area; see the link to see the information on the area:
http://www.clui.org/clui_4_1/lotl/v27/i.html
http://www.khou.com/news/local/spotlight/stories/khou050916_cd_upclose_plantsafety.6252f79a.html
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/
September 19, 2005
Rita's under pressure, for now at least
Our fate now lies in the hands of a dreaded high-pressure ridge.
I hate these things during the summer. They raise temperatures to the upper 90s, and squash any chances of an afternoon shower to cool things off or water a parched lawn.
But right now the ridge, stretching from Texas to Florida along the Gulf Coast, is saving us. It's a shield from Rita, keeping the storm to our south.
Believing the ridge will break down sooner rather than later, the late-afternoon advisory from the National Hurricane Center has Rita making landfall just south of Galveston. That's about the worst-possible case for Houston because we'd be on the wettest, windiest side.
Some computer models say the ridge will slip away by Friday, allowing Rita to make a turn toward us. Yet we probably won't know what's up with the high-pressure ridge for another day or two. Until then, here's a couple of things to watch for:
1. Will Rita speed up over the Gulf of Mexico? If so, it could make it to south Texas before the high-pressure ridge moves off. Anything in excess of 15 mph is good.
2. Will Rita do anything funny when it crosses the Florida Keys? Probably not, because there's not a whole lot of land there. But if the center bounces significantly north or south, it could be good for Houston.
As they say in the TV business, stay tuned...
Posted by Eric Berger at September 19, 2005 05:41 PM
Posted by: Laurence Simon at September 19, 2005 07:59 PM
A little FYI. The Super WalMart in Katy has already been picked clean of batteries, cook stoves, lanterns and drinking water. Many of the canned goods as well.
I'm not kidding about this. Katrina has given Houstonians The Fear. Are people overreacting? I hope so! We'd all love to see this storm hit that empty 200-mile stretch of shoreline between South Padre and Corpus.
Any word on how this will impact oil production and refining yet?
I'm sure companies like Boots & Coots are on standby.
Most of the refining is sheltered behind Galveston Island and the Bolivar Penninsula, or farther south inside of Corpus Christi Bay, which also sheltered by barrier islands. However, depending on the exact track, a hit on Galveston could be much worse on the oil production side of things.
