DALLAS (AP) – Refinery operators along the Texas Gulf Coast are hunkering down for Hurricane Harvey, while motorists far from the storm’s path are also feeling the effects as gasoline prices rise.
Nearly one-third of the nation’s refining capacity sits in low-lying areas along the coast from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Several refineries at greatest risk of suffering a direct strike from high winds have already shut down, but it is the potential for flooding in the Houston and Beaumont, Texas, areas that could really pinch gasoline supplies.
Other industries from shipping to air travel are also seeing the impact of the first major hurricane to hit the refinery-rich Texas coast in nearly a decade.
Here’s how Harvey is likely to affect energy, travel, shipping and other industries.