A large swath of the US Gulf Coast hunkered down Thursday as Hurricane Harvey barreled towards Texas and Louisiana -- an area that processes some seven million barrels of oil a day.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that Harvey was &quot;rapidly intensifying&quot; and creating a potential for &quot;life-threatening and devastating&quot; floods.

The storm&#39;s center was due to make landfall sometime early Saturday, with preceding strong winds arriving as early as 8 am (1300 GMT) Friday.

Harvey&#39;s maximum sustained winds Thursday were about 140 km per hour, but the NHC said the category one hurricane could hit land as a much more powerful category three, with winds of 209 kilometers per hour.&nbsp;

If forecasts hold, Harvey would be the strongest hurricane to hit the US mainland in 12 years.

&quot;For anyone who has not already evacuated, please hurry to do so,&quot; the city of Portland, Texas declared on its website in capital letters.

The storm was menacing one-third of the US refining capacity, forcing several energy companies to take precautions and evacuate personnel from oil and gas platforms in the heart of the US &quot;Refinery Row.&quot;

One oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico was evacuated Thursday, as well as 39 manned oil and natural gas production platforms, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.&nbsp;

Those evacuations represented an estimated 9.5 percent of oil production and 14.7 percent of natural gas production in the Gulf, the Bureau said.&nbsp;

The storm was expected to dump as much as 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain in some parts of Texas. Dangerous storm surges were also forecast to reach between six to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.7 meters) above ground level in the worst-hit regions.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations in 30 counties, saying the preemptive move would allow the state &quot;to quickly deploy resources for the emergency response effort.&quot;&nbsp;

Officials in Houston, the biggest city in the path of the storm, said they did not anticipate issuing evacuation orders, but expected heavy rainfall to last up to five days. City schools canceled classes through Monday.&nbsp;

&quot;Houston will see close to 20 inches of rainfall,&quot; officials said in a statement. &quot;This is likely to cause dangerous flash flooding, and will cause area flooding throughout the entire Houston region.&quot;

Corpus Christi -- a major oil refining center where the hurricane was projected to make landfall Saturday morning -- issued voluntary evacuation orders. The nearby coastal hamlets of Port Arkansas and Arkansas Pass both ordered mandatory evacuations.&nbsp;

A number of other municipalities in Texas also ordered evacuations.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump weighed in with a tweet: &quot;As #HurricaneHarvey intensifies - remember to #PlanAhead.&quot;

In neighboring Louisiana where the storm was forecast to hover for many days and could deluge flood-prone New Orleans, Governor John Bel Edwards said he spoke with the president who &quot;offered his full support.&quot;

&quot;This is going to play out over the next week or so,&quot; Edwards told a news conference, &quot;which makes it particularly dangerous... because the longer it sits in one place the more rain that it will drop.&quot;

Edwards issued an emergency declaration for his entire state, as hundreds of boats were made ready for potential rescues along with more than half a million sandbags to hold back flood waters.

In New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused widespread flooding and killed more than 1,800 people, Mayor Mitch Landrieu told journalists that high-water rescue vehicles and boats were at the ready.

&quot;We just need to make sure that we&#39;re prepared for heavy rain over the course of the next week,&quot; Landrieu said, adding that there were no evacuations planned.&nbsp;

This is the first major storm of the annual Atlantic hurricane season.&nbsp;

The Gulf region is only midway through the season, and has so far had eight storms that did not cause much concern, said Phil Klotzbach, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University.

&quot;The tropical Atlantic remains warmer than normal,&quot; Klotzbach told AFP, &quot;so we are expecting an above-average overall season.&quot;

According to analyst Phil Flynn of the Price Futures Group, the region in Harvey&#39;s path is vital to the US refining industry &quot;running about seven million barrels a day.&quot;

&quot;Harvey&#39;s greatest risk to refiners is not just wind damage to the refineries, but also the associated rainfall and the potential for electric power failure,&quot; said James Williams of WTRG Economics.&nbsp;

Should a refinery shut down, he said it could take a week to get it up and running again.

If forecasts hold, Harvey would be the strongest hurricane to hit the US mainland in 12 years

A large swath of the US Gulf Coast hunkered down Thursday as Hurricane Harvey barreled towards Texas and Louisiana -- an area that processes some seven million barrels of oil a day. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that Harvey was "rapidly intensifying" and creating a potential for "life-threatening and devastating" floods. The storm's center was due to make landfall sometime early Saturday, with preceding strong winds arriving as early as 8 am (1300 GMT) Friday. Harvey's maximum sustained winds Thursday were about 140 km per hour, but the NHC said the category one hurricane could hit land as a much more powerful category three, with winds of 209 kilometers per hour. If forecasts hold, Harvey would be the strongest hurricane to hit the US mainland in 12 years. "For anyone who has not already evacuated, please hurry to do so," the city of Portland, Texas declared on its website in capital letters. The storm was menacing one-third of the US refining capacity, forcing several energy companies to take precautions and evacuate personnel from oil and gas platforms in the heart of the US "Refinery Row." One oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico was evacuated Thursday, as well as 39 manned oil and natural gas production platforms, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. Those evacuations represented an estimated 9.5 percent of oil production and 14.7 percent of natural gas production in the Gulf, the Bureau said. The storm was expected to dump as much as 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain in some parts of Texas. Dangerous storm surges were also forecast to reach between six to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.7 meters) above ground level in the worst-hit regions. Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations in 30 counties, saying the preemptive move would allow the state "to quickly deploy resources for the emergency response effort." Officials in Houston, the biggest city in the path of the storm, said they did not anticipate issuing evacuation orders, but expected heavy rainfall to last up to five days. City schools canceled classes through Monday. "Houston will see close to 20 inches of rainfall," officials said in a statement. "This is likely to cause dangerous flash flooding, and will cause area flooding throughout the entire Houston region." Corpus Christi -- a major oil refining center where the hurricane was projected to make landfall Saturday morning -- issued voluntary evacuation orders. The nearby coastal hamlets of Port Arkansas and Arkansas Pass both ordered mandatory evacuations. A number of other municipalities in Texas also ordered evacuations. US President Donald Trump weighed in with a tweet: "As #HurricaneHarvey intensifies - remember to #PlanAhead." In neighboring Louisiana where the storm was forecast to hover for many days and could deluge flood-prone New Orleans, Governor John Bel Edwards said he spoke with the president who "offered his full support." "This is going to play out over the next week or so," Edwards told a news conference, "which makes it particularly dangerous... because the longer it sits in one place the more rain that it will drop." Edwards issued an emergency declaration for his entire state, as hundreds of boats were made ready for potential rescues along with more than half a million sandbags to hold back flood waters. In New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused widespread flooding and killed more than 1,800 people, Mayor Mitch Landrieu told journalists that high-water rescue vehicles and boats were at the ready. "We just need to make sure that we're prepared for heavy rain over the course of the next week," Landrieu said, adding that there were no evacuations planned. This is the first major storm of the annual Atlantic hurricane season. The Gulf region is only midway through the season, and has so far had eight storms that did not cause much concern, said Phil Klotzbach, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University. "The tropical Atlantic remains warmer than normal," Klotzbach told AFP, "so we are expecting an above-average overall season." According to analyst Phil Flynn of the Price Futures Group, the region in Harvey's path is vital to the US refining industry "running about seven million barrels a day." "Harvey's greatest risk to refiners is not just wind damage to the refineries, but also the associated rainfall and the potential for electric power failure," said James Williams of WTRG Economics. Should a refinery shut down, he said it could take a week to get it up and running again.

Hurricane Harvey: Storm emerges in Texas, Louisiana

Oil&nbsp;prices rose on Friday as the US&nbsp;petroleum industry braced for Hurricane Harvey, which may become the biggest storm to hit the US mainland in more than a decade.

Harvey became a category 2 storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 105 mph (169 kph), 220 miles (355 km) off Corpus Christi, Texas, the National Hurricane Center said.

The hurricane is forecast to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday between Corpus Christi and Houston, both important&nbsp;oil&nbsp;refining centers.

US light crude, also known as West Texas Intermediate or WTI, was up 30 cents at $47.73 a barrel by 1015 GMT. Brent crude was 30 cents higher at $52.34.

Energy companies have pulled workers from offshore&nbsp;oil&nbsp;platforms and halted onshore drilling in south Texas.

Just under 10 percent of offshore US. Gulf of Mexico crude output capacity and nearly 15 percent of natural gas production had been halted by midday on Thursday, government data showed.

&quot;Damage and flooding to refineries and shale fields, disrupted production in the Gulf of Mexico and infrastructure damage is unlikely to be bearish for WTI,&quot; said Jeffrey Halley, market analyst at brokerage OANDA.

US gasoline prices have risen almost 10 percent since Wednesday to a high of $1.74 a gallon, their loftiest since April as refiners shut down in preparation for the storm.

The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, was closed to vessel traffic, a spokeswoman for the city&#39;s Port Authority said.

Oil&nbsp;refineries in the city run by Citgo Petroleum, Valero Energy Corp, and Flint Hills Resources also began shutting down.

Beyond the storm&#39;s potential impact on the&nbsp;oil&nbsp;industry, crude remains in ample supply globally despite efforts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to hold back production in order to prop up prices.

OPEC, together with non-OPEC producers including Russia, has pledged to cut output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) this year and in the first quarter of 2018. But not all producers have kept to their pledges and supplies remain high.

A joint OPEC, non-OPEC monitoring ministerial committee said on Thursday that an extension to the supply-cut pact beyond March was possible, though not yet decided.

Part of the reason for the crude glut has been rising U.S. production, which has jumped by 13 percent since mid-2016 to 9.53 million bpd, close to its 9.61 million bpd record from June 2015.

Harvey became a category 2 storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 105 mph (169 kph), 220 miles (355 km) off Corpus Christi, Texas

Oil prices rose on Friday as the US petroleum industry braced for Hurricane Harvey, which may become the biggest storm to hit the US mainland in more than a decade. Harvey became a category 2 storm as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico with winds of 105 mph (169 kph), 220 miles (355 km) off Corpus Christi, Texas, the National Hurricane Center said. The hurricane is forecast to make landfall late Friday or early Saturday between Corpus Christi and Houston, both important oil refining centers. US light crude, also known as West Texas Intermediate or WTI, was up 30 cents at $47.73 a barrel by 1015 GMT. Brent crude was 30 cents higher at $52.34. Energy companies have pulled workers from offshore oil platforms and halted onshore drilling in south Texas. Just under 10 percent of offshore US. Gulf of Mexico crude output capacity and nearly 15 percent of natural gas production had been halted by midday on Thursday, government data showed. "Damage and flooding to refineries and shale fields, disrupted production in the Gulf of Mexico and infrastructure damage is unlikely to be bearish for WTI," said Jeffrey Halley, market analyst at brokerage OANDA. US gasoline prices have risen almost 10 percent since Wednesday to a high of $1.74 a gallon, their loftiest since April as refiners shut down in preparation for the storm. The Port of Corpus Christi, Texas, was closed to vessel traffic, a spokeswoman for the city's Port Authority said. Oil refineries in the city run by Citgo Petroleum, Valero Energy Corp, and Flint Hills Resources also began shutting down. Beyond the storm's potential impact on the oil industry, crude remains in ample supply globally despite efforts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to hold back production in order to prop up prices. OPEC, together with non-OPEC producers including Russia, has pledged to cut output by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) this year and in the first quarter of 2018. But not all producers have kept to their pledges and supplies remain high. A joint OPEC, non-OPEC monitoring ministerial committee said on Thursday that an extension to the supply-cut pact beyond March was possible, though not yet decided. Part of the reason for the crude glut has been rising U.S. production, which has jumped by 13 percent since mid-2016 to 9.53 million bpd, close to its 9.61 million bpd record from June 2015.

Hurricane Harvey hits US mainland, oil prices increase

Winds and rain from Hurricane Hermine battered Florida&rsquo;s northern Gulf Coast on Friday morning. 
 
Florida governor Rick Scott&nbsp;has warned that Hermine, a category 1 hurricane, would bring in a potentially lethal storm. 
 
The hurricane hit Florida packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). 
 
Several areas in Florida have reported 5 inches (12 cm) of rain since the storm hit the coast at 1.30am (Eastern Time). 
 
The strong winds snapped power lines in the region, leaving more than 70,000 households in Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast in the dark&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
As of 3:00am Hurricane Hermine is 25 miles east of Tallahassee, moving North/Northeast at 14 mph.
&mdash; Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLGovScott/status/771609565104214017">September 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

 
&quot;It is a mess...we have high water in numerous places,&quot; Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel. &quot;I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don&#39;t recall anything this bad.&quot; 
 
&quot;Hurricane Hermine is strengthening fast and it will impact the majority of our state,&quot; Governor Rick Scott told a Florida-based news channel. 
 
The National Weather Service has issued several tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida after&nbsp;the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. 
 
Hermine is the fourth hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic storm season.&nbsp; 
 
The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) also advised people to remain indoors.&nbsp; 
 
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hermine?src=hash">Hermine</a> made landfall at 1:30 AM ET near St. Marks, FL. Severe weather conditions continue, stay indoors! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/alert?src=hash">#alert</a> <a href="https://t.co/6S7GwLbHOQ">https://t.co/6S7GwLbHOQ</a>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">&mdash; Florida SERT (@FLSERT) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLSERT/status/771584285245530112">September 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

 
 
Hermine is expected to dump as much as 20 inches (51 cm) of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet (3.6 meters). 
 
After battering Florida, the hurricane would move across to Georgia and&nbsp;then towards the&nbsp;coastal regions on the Atlantic. 
 
The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in the affected regions. 
 
In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags. 
 
Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida&#39;s 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. 
&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
FL National Guard has more than 6,000 personnel ready. FWC has operations groups standing by with boats &amp; search and rescue equipment.
&mdash; Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLGovScott/status/771498046387474432">September 2, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

 
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida, with voluntary evacuations in at least three more counties. Twenty emergency shelters were opened across the state for those displaced by the storm. 
 
&quot;This is life-threatening,&quot; Scott told reporters on Thursday. 
 
In coastal Franklin County, people were being evacuated from barrier islands and low-lying shore areas. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The strong winds and rain have snapped power lines in the region, leaving thousands of households in the dark

Winds and rain from Hurricane Hermine battered Florida’s northern Gulf Coast on Friday morning. Florida governor Rick Scott has warned that Hermine, a category 1 hurricane, would bring in a potentially lethal storm. The hurricane hit Florida packing winds of 80 mph (130 km/h). Several areas in Florida have reported 5 inches (12 cm) of rain since the storm hit the coast at 1.30am (Eastern Time). The strong winds snapped power lines in the region, leaving more than 70,000 households in Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast in the dark As of 3:00am Hurricane Hermine is 25 miles east of Tallahassee, moving North/Northeast at 14 mph. — Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) September 2, 2016 "It is a mess...we have high water in numerous places," Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel. "I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don't recall anything this bad." "Hurricane Hermine is strengthening fast and it will impact the majority of our state," Governor Rick Scott told a Florida-based news channel. The National Weather Service has issued several tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida after the National Hurricane Center extended a tropical storm watch to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Hermine is the fourth hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic storm season. The State Emergency Response Team (SERT) also advised people to remain indoors. Hermine made landfall at 1:30 AM ET near St. Marks, FL. Severe weather conditions continue, stay indoors! #alert https://t.co/6S7GwLbHOQ — Florida SERT (@FLSERT) September 2, 2016 Hermine is expected to dump as much as 20 inches (51 cm) of rain in some parts of the state. Ocean storm surge could swell as high as 12 feet (3.6 meters). After battering Florida, the hurricane would move across to Georgia and then towards the coastal regions on the Atlantic. The governors of Georgia and North Carolina on Thursday declared emergencies in the affected regions. In South Carolina, the low-lying coastal city of Charleston was handing out sandbags. Scott declared a state of emergency in 51 of Florida's 67 counties, and at least 20 counties closed schools. FL National Guard has more than 6,000 personnel ready. FWC has operations groups standing by with boats & search and rescue equipment. — Rick Scott (@FLGovScott) September 2, 2016 Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of five counties in northwestern Florida, with voluntary evacuations in at least three more counties. Twenty emergency shelters were opened across the state for those displaced by the storm. "This is life-threatening," Scott told reporters on Thursday. In coastal Franklin County, people were being evacuated from barrier islands and low-lying shore areas. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Hurricane Hermine makes landfall in Florida

A landslide triggered by tropical storm Earl left six dead on Saturday in eastern Mexico as heavy rains began to ease up, but officials warned residents to remain prepared for more floods or mudslides. 
 
A couple and their toddler died in Veracruz state when their house was buried, the state&#39;s secretary of civil protection Yolanda Gutierrez Carlin told AFP. The couple&#39;s eight-year-old child was rescued and hospitalized. 
 
Another young couple and their three-year-old child were killed when their home was completely swamped by mud. 
 
Two other people were injured in the state capital when their homes collapsed and at least 40 families in the area have been evacuated as a precaution, Carlin said, also warning of increased water levels in the Jamapa river. 
 
Heavy rains and fierce wind gusts hit Mexico on Thursday after Earl weakened from hurricane status over Central America. 
 
The storm has lost strength but rainfall in the country&#39;s southeastern states could still cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, according to the US National Hurricane Center. 
 
Earl swept in from the Caribbean at hurricane strength on Wednesday, striking just south of Belize&#39;s capital, said the NHC. 
 
The Mexican authorities took no chances, evacuating 300 families living close to a river along the border with Belize in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo for fear of flooding. 
 
(AFP)

The Mexican authorities have evacuated 300 families living close to a river along the border with Belize

A landslide triggered by tropical storm Earl left six dead on Saturday in eastern Mexico as heavy rains began to ease up, but officials warned residents to remain prepared for more floods or mudslides. A couple and their toddler died in Veracruz state when their house was buried, the state's secretary of civil protection Yolanda Gutierrez Carlin told AFP. The couple's eight-year-old child was rescued and hospitalized. Another young couple and their three-year-old child were killed when their home was completely swamped by mud. Two other people were injured in the state capital when their homes collapsed and at least 40 families in the area have been evacuated as a precaution, Carlin said, also warning of increased water levels in the Jamapa river. Heavy rains and fierce wind gusts hit Mexico on Thursday after Earl weakened from hurricane status over Central America. The storm has lost strength but rainfall in the country's southeastern states could still cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Earl swept in from the Caribbean at hurricane strength on Wednesday, striking just south of Belize's capital, said the NHC. The Mexican authorities took no chances, evacuating 300 families living close to a river along the border with Belize in the southeastern state of Quintana Roo for fear of flooding. (AFP)

Six dead as tropical storm Earl whirls Mexico

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