New Orleans, along with three other US states brace for Hurricane Nate
Nate has already halted 92 percent of oil output and 77 percent of natural gas production in the US Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to make landfall on the central US Gulf Coast as Category 2 hurricane late on Saturday.
Hurricane Nate has halted 92 percent of oil output and 77 percent of natural gas production in the US Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, according to the latest US government estimate.
The storm stopped offshore production amounting to 1.61 million barrels per day of oil and 2.48 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said on Saturday.
Nate is expected to make landfall as Category Two hurricane on the central US Gulf Coast late on Saturday,
Throughout the day, residents in three states along the US Gulf Coast scrambled to complete preparations ahead of Hurricane Nate as officials warned conditions would turn treacherous after sunset.
The storm packed winds topping 144 km per hour as it churned in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm killed at least 28 people in Central America.
Storm surges along the US Gulf Coast are forecast as high as eight feet above ground level, prompting officials to order mandatory evacuations in some low-lying areas.
In Louisiana’s flood-prone city of New Orleans, residents were out early Saturday to fill sandbags, as others in nearby communities packed cars to heed evacuation orders.
The mayor urged residents in three areas under mandatory evacuation orders to leave by noon because nearby floodgates will be closing.
