Houston refineries vulnerable to moderate hurricane

A moderately powerful hurricane could cripple Houston’s refineries and petrochemical industry, said a report from experts at several Texas universities.

The report was issued May 26 by the Rice University-based Severe Storm Prediction, Education, and Evacuation from Disasters Center (SSPEED).

Separately, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast an “active to extremely active” 2010 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin.

Across the entire Atlantic Basin for the 6-month hurricane season, which begins June 1, NOAA forecast 14-23 named storms, including 8-14 hurricanes with 3-7 of those possibly being Category 3, 4, or 5.

“If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator.

The SSPEED report was released during the 2010 Coastal Resilience Symposium at Rice University. Regional, national, and international experts met to discuss how the Houston area might be made more storm resilient.

SSPEED Director Phil Bedient, a Rice engineering professor and report coauthor, noted Category 2 Hurricane Ike caused $30 billion in damage.

“Had that same storm struck 30 miles farther south, it could easily have caused $100 billion in damage,” Bedient said.

The report is part of an ongoing 2-year study commissioned from SSPEED in 2009 by the nonprofit Houston Endowment.

SSPEED assembled a team of more than 12 experts from Rice University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, the University of Houston, Texas Southern University, and several other institutions.

Oil Gas Journal