Hurricane Harvey Threatens One-Third of U.S. Refineries

On Friday, CNN reported that the edges of Harvey were drenching the Texas coastline with rain, ahead of the forecasted 35 inches of rain and “catastrophic” flooding from the storm surge. “The combination of heavy rain, ‘life-threatening’ storm surges, flooding and strong winds could leave wide swaths of South Texas ‘uninhabitable for weeks or months,’” according to the National Weather Service in Houston, as reported by CNN.  We’ve all seen images and video of the devastation, unfortunately the National Weather Service got this one right.

The severity of the storm as well as its path puts one-third of U.S. refineries in jeopardy. At least one analyst predicted the refineries located along the coastlines in western Louisiana and Texas could be shoved offline for 18 to 26 months if 2 feet of flooding occurs, CNBC reports. Bob Mitchell, president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, pointed out that Houston-area refineries provide a significant part of the nation’s gasoline, jet aviation fuel and military grade fuel. However, no one knew for sure how much rain would come and how quickly.

The convenience store industry often becomes the go-to resource for supplies and fuel for both residents and emergency personnel during the aftermath of a hurricane. To learn more about NACS resources available to you, visit convenience.org/hurricane, and for information about how you can help, visit convenience.org/RedCross.