Hurricane Beryl, which recently caused damage in parts of the Caribbean, is now getting stronger as it moves toward the Texas coast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued warnings on Sunday about the storm, which has already led to the closure of major oil ports, flight cancellations, and emergency preparations.
Early Record-Breaking Storm
According to Reuters, Beryl became the earliest category 5 hurricane on record last week, causing damage in Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The storm has already caused large-scale damage, toppling buildings and power lines, and has resulted in at least 11 deaths.
Although Beryl weakened after its path through the Caribbean, it has regained strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Currently a category 1 hurricane, it is expected to strengthen to a category 2 by the time it reaches Houston on Monday.
"Additional strengthening is expected before landfall on the Texas coast," the NHC stated in its latest advisory.
State of Emergency
Acting Governor Patrick declared 120 counties as disaster areas in preparation for the storm, stating that Beryl "will be a deadly storm for people who are directly in that path."
Schools in Houston, including the state's largest school system, will be closed as the storm approaches. Hundreds of flights have been canceled, and evacuations have been ordered in several beach towns.
Impact on Oil Industry
The closures of major oil-shipping ports in Corpus Christi, Galveston, and Houston could disrupt crude oil exports, shipments to refineries, and fuel distribution.
Even though most of the northern Gulf's offshore oil and gas production lies east of Beryl's forecast track, some oil producers like Shell and Chevron have evacuated personnel from their Gulf of Mexico platforms.
Citgo Petroleum Corp plans to keep its Corpus Christi refinery running at minimum production as the storm progresses. Gibson Energy, which operates a large oil terminal in Corpus Christi, is continuing operations but is prepared to take further steps as needed.
