Washington, October 11 (QNA) – At least four people were killed due to Hurricane Isaias which struck the southern United States, causing power outages for more than 600,000 homes and facilities.
According to the US National Hurricane Center, the storm weakened yesterday, Saturday, from a hurricane to a tropical or post-tropical storm after making landfall in Florida, bringing heavy rains and strong winds.
Several states along the Gulf of Mexico, including Florida and Alabama, declared a state of emergency and ordered evacuations for areas threatened by gale-force winds, high waves, and heavy rainfall.
Wind speeds associated with the storm had reached 165 kilometers per hour prior to its downgrade.
The storm's impact extended to the energy sector, with approximately 63 percent of oil production and 57 percent of gas production in the Gulf of Mexico suspended, removing about 1.3 million barrels of oil per day from the market.
In response to supply disruptions caused by the weather conditions, the US Department of Energy announced plans to release up to four million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (QNA)