Gulf Coast braces as Isaias heads toward landfall (newsbug.info)

Tropical Storm Isaias, upgraded Wednesday from Tropical Depression Nine, is forecast to become a Category 2 hurricane before hitting the north-central Gulf Coast late Friday or this weekend between the Florida Panhandle and southeast Louisiana. Hurricane watches stretch from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, to Indian Pass, Florida, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declaring a state of emergency for 25 counties and Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana agencies on alert. Offshore producers shut in about 25% of Gulf crude output, or 511,000 barrels a day, and more than 16% of natural gas daily output, as operators evacuated eight manned platforms.