[Mike Fieschko]

Could someone please explain to me why the gulf shutting down is causing such drastic things to happen?

Texas is where oil is refined (well, a lot of it). All the crude in the world won't fill your gas or diesel vehicle's tank if the refineries are closed.

Hurricane Ike, Energy Infrastructure, Refineries and Damage Models Thread #4 (Updated 9/12 18:00 EDT), from the Oil Drum site.

[Paleo Conservative]

Texas is where oil is refined (well, a lot of it). All the crude in the world won't fill your gas or diesel vehicle's tank if the refineries are closed.

And if Ike's surge is as high as has been predicted, the refineries will probably be damaged, and it will take even longer to get them going again than the refineries in Louisiana. Don't forget that lots of the refinery output was sent to gas stations along evacuation routes in Texas to facilitate evacuations.