China News Service, September 14 reported that on the 13th local time, tropical storm "Nicholas" was approaching the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, local schools had closed classes, and coastal areas issued a storm surge warning.
Royal Dutch Shell began to evacuate workers on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, and other companies also began to prepare for the strong winds brought by the second Gulf of Mexico storm in a few weeks.
On September 5, local time, in front of a house hit by hurricane flooding in Queens, New York City, the relevant staff made statistics on the disaster situation.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
According to reports, the National Hurricane Center said that tropical storm "Nicholas" was moving northward at a speed of 60 miles per hour in the waters off the southern coast of Texas.
It may evolve into a hurricane before it makes landfall.
According to the National Weather Service, waves of nearly 12 feet (3.7 meters) high occurred outside the Port of Arensas near Corpus Christi, and wind speeds as high as 54 miles per hour were about 40 miles east of Padre Island.
It is predicted that the total rainfall in the coastal areas of Texas will reach 16 inches, and some remote areas may reach 20 inches.
"Nicholas" was the second hurricane in September to threaten energy facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast.
In late August and early September, Hurricane Ada caused severe damage to oil production and refining facilities.
According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, two weeks after Hurricane Ida passed the border, more than 40% of the oil production capacity in the Gulf of Mexico in the United States was still in a state of suspension.
Shell began to evacuate non-essential personnel from its Perdido platform on the 13th. The platform was not affected by Hurricane Ida; freight forwarders at the oil export port on the coast of Texas were warned of strong hurricane-level winds.
The U.S. Coast Guard said that the Port of Corpus Christi may be hit by hurricane-level winds.
The refinery also began to prepare for the storm.
Phillips 66's refinery in Sweeney, Texas, and the Lake Charles refinery in Louisiana, launched their hurricane plans; ExxonMobil's Baytown and Beaumont petrochemical plants in Texas are also prepared for severe weather.