three years ago this week

Hurricane Gustav, the 7th Atlantic storm of your season, is now predicted to hit the Gulf of Mexico this coming weekend. Hurricane Gustav's track is presently trending toward Haiti and Cuba, plus the U.S. Military Installation at Guantanamo Bay is generating storm preparations. Gustav's prior track would have meant a direct hit to Gitmo, but now Hurricane Gustav's track is off shore. reports that Hurricane Gustav's aim toward the Gulf of Mexico has translated into a spike within the cost per barrel of oil, whereas we've previously been enjoying falling prices per barrel, resulting in more affordable gas at the pump.

Even though presently only a Category 1 hurricane, the Gulf's warm waters would feed Gustav and potentially bring about an escalation in Gustav's category status to a Category 3 or larger. Katrina made land fall, three years ago this week, as a Category three.

Hurricane Gustav's path and comparison to Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina continues to be fresh in the thoughts of numerous Americans, although it has been almost three years since she wreaked her wrath around the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Apart from the sheer harm and loss of life, Katrina and subsequently Rita, triggered an extraordinary volume of harm to oil platforms within the Gulf of Mexico, resulting within a huge spike in gas expenses. Refineries have been heavily damaged, causing a shortage in fuel. soared over $3 a gallon in quick order, a jump of 30-40 cents overnight, back in early September 2005, shortly right after Katrina hit. Hurricane Gustav's track at present makes a Gulf hit a possibility.

Clearly, a Gulf hit of your very same proportions of Hurricane Katrina could re-devastate the recovery efforts within the Gulf, to not mention the oil sector in the Gulf area. Americans are nevertheless feeling plenty of of the effects of Katrina's wrath on their pocket book, thinking of that gas rates have yet to drop to pre-Katrina levels zx6r fairings.

Recent weeks have observed a fairly steady decline inside the value of gas at the pump, and right here again, a hurricane is poised to interrupt provide and potentially drive gas costs even further by means of the roof. Not simply will the National Hurricane Center be watching Gustav's track, but various Americans shall be watching at the same time and hoping that the oil crisis we're facing now does not get worse with an additional catastrophic hurricane hit.

Further Sources:

Drives Up Oil Rates, Journal blog

, Linked Press

, MSNBC

, Wikipedia