Oil is bought 3 months ahead, a 72 hour storm should not present a problem. The heads are shut, platforms empty and assuming no major damage, will be back in full operation monday. Just like a long weekend.
Something is causing stations to limit purchases to 10 gallons in Chattanooga, TN. I saw numerous stations yesterday near Chattanooga and again 30 miles north in a rural area with long lines of cars waiting to get gas. At first I thought it was just because it was rush hour (such as it is in Chattanooga), but my wife got off work at 8:00PM last night and she said the lines were still there when she was on her way home. If not a supply shortage, then what?
“Oil is bought 3 months ahead, a 72 hour storm should not present a problem.”
....oh, of course it should not. You are just being way to realistic.
I'm sorry but you have no idea what you are talking about. There was over 700 rigs and platforms evacuated just for little Gustav. You cannot move that many people on and off those isolated platforms in 72 hours. And it is a lot more complicated than just flipping a switch on and off.
Take a look at the last couple weeks for Gulf of Mexico status:
86,013 BOPD Shut-in, 23 platforms/rigs evacuated - 8/29
998,021 BOPD Shut-in, 268 platforms/rigs evacuated - 8/30
1,251,409 BOPD Shut-in, 604 platforms/rigs evacuated - 8/31
1,300,000 BOPD Shut-in, 726 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/1
1,300,000 BOPD Shut-in, 742 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/2
1,245,708 BOPD Shut-in, 690 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/3
1,238,167 BOPD Shut-in, 590 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/4
1,176,738 BOPD Shut-in, 368 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/5
1,136,843 BOPD Shut-in, 241 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/6
1,037,466 BOPD Shut-in, 212 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/7
1,032,612 BOPD Shut-in, 215 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/8
1,007,389 BOPD Shut-in, 211 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/9
1,246,595 BOPD Shut-in, 533 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/10
1,260,243 BOPD Shut-in, 655 platforms/rigs evacuated - 9/11
Source:
http://www.mms.gov/ooc/newweb/pressreleases/newsstories.htm
Hurricane Gustav is the partial answer, along with the fact we operate refinery capacity at 90% to 95% of total capacity (less than a dime in change if there are maintenance work or other shutdowns).
There is predicted storm surge of about 30 feet for Baytown and Texas City refineries... I think that is part of the explanation as well...
Gustav made supplies tight -- Refineries in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lake Charles were shutdown, as well as in Mississippi and some of the Texas refineries...
That was also during the Labor Day Weekend.