Major Gulf Coast refineries escaped a direct hit, and Chevron’s Pascagoula plant and Vertex’s Alabama refinery emerged unscathed. Offshore disruptions persisted Saturday, with about 69% of Gulf oil production, or 1.4 million BPD, and 57% of natural gas output shut in. Cumulative crude production losses reached 4.656 million barrels.
The US Energy Department authorized an emergency exchange of up to 4 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve on Saturday to address storm-related supply disruptions, maintain refinery operations and limit interruptions to fuel supplies. Offshore platforms were expected to resume production shortly. In Florida, all state bridges, Interstate 10 and US 98 reopened before daylight, and utility crews were working to restore power.