The U.S. Department of Energy on Saturday announced it is allowing companies to borrow up to 4 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to address supply disruptions in the Gulf from Hurricane Isaias.

ExxonMobil and BP America are participating in the emergency exchange and must return any burrowed crude oil with additional premium barrels in 2027. The department said this will help strengthen the reserve without putting extra costs on taxpayers.

“With
this emergency exchange, the Energy Department is acting swiftly to help
maintain refinery operations, limit disruptions to fuel supplies, and ensure
American families and businesses continue to have access to affordable,
reliable, and secure energy” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said.

The department said it has authorized exchanges of up to two million barrels each for both companies to address immediate needs. The DOE will continue working with other industry partners to respond to any hurricane-related disruptions.

More impacts yet to be seen

Isaias was the first named hurricane of the Atlantic season and hit the Gulf coast with tropical-force winds overnight after making landfall as a Category 2 storm.

The National Hurricane Center said flood watches remain in effect for parts of the Carolinas and Georgia.

Isaias will likely bring heavy rainfall, flash flooding and severe weather to North Carolina, especially to areas like Wilmington and Western North Carolina. 

Some areas in the southern Appalachians could see up to 10 inches of rain, though totals are more likely to be around 3 to 6 inches. The storm is expected to move into the Tennessee Valley before heading into the mid-Atlantic region on Sunday.

Sunday’s weather could be rough for portions of central North Carolina, where we’re expecting to see heavier bands of rain and potentially severe storms. The severe risk will become more elevated for wind and tornadic activity, particularly later Sunday morning into the evening hours.

© WRAL

Meanwhile, emergency crews in North Carolina are preparing for impacts on our state. 

“Our urban search and rescue teams have been placed on a state mission order in key locations Saturday, just to make sure they’re ready for a quick response,” said Justin Graney with the North Carolina Emergency Department.