Ike on EARTH Magazine

Houston avoids worst of Ike; gas prices jump

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Hurricane Ike made landfall as a strong Category-2 hurricane early Saturday morning, with sustained winds of 170 kph (110 mph), just shy of a Category 3 storm. NOAA

Hurricane Ike roared into southeastern Texas early Saturday morning as a strong Category-2 storm, with 170 kilometer-per-hour (110 mph) winds. But due to a last-minute veer to the east, the populous region between Galveston and Houston narrowly avoided the worst of the storm.

Oil industries escape Ike's wrath

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

Hurricane Ike’s damage to Gulf Coast oil industries was not as bad as authorities had feared, the Department of Energy stated in a report released Monday.

The report, which compiled accounts from government agencies and oil companies with refineries in the region, noted that oil refineries suffered “minimal damage from Ike and are making preparations to restart operations.” Louisiana’s Department of Natural Resources stated that the “basic infrastructure of the state’s oil and gas industry appears to have weathered the storm with almost no damage." ExxonMobil said its Baytown, Texas, refinery had “limited” damage, although its Beaumont, Texas, refinery was still without power. Valero Energy, the largest refinery in the U.S., cited “no significant structural damage” to its three refineries in the area. Those refineries remain shut down, but they should return to full capacity on the order of days, not weeks, says Bill Day, Director of Media relations at Valero, based in San Antonio, Texas.

Watch out Houston, Ike is coming

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:41:58 -0500

As residents of Galveston, Texas, scramble to evacuate before Hurricane Ike makes landfall tonight, most Houston residents have been told to stay put. But even Houston — about 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the northeast — is in for some extreme weather tomorrow.