Oil Workers Flee As Third Storm In Month Aims For U.S. Offshore Fields

Shell said it was removing non-essential employees from its Perdido platform in the western Gulf of Mexico and securing nearby drilling rigs. Occidental Petroleum Corp , which operates in the same area, also began implementing storm procedures, it said.

Chevron Corp has not newly evacuated staff and there was no impact from storm Beta on production at its operated facilities, the company said. Chevron owns a stake in Shell’s Perdido.

Beta was churning 305 miles (495 km) east of the mouth of the Rio Grande River at 10 p.m. CDT (0300 GMT) and moving 12 miles per hour (19 kph) to the north, northeast, the NHC said late Friday. It issued a hurricane watch for most of the Texas coast and warned of heavy rains along the northwest Gulf coast through Wednesday.

Beta could become the third Gulf of Mexico hurricane in less than a month, behind Laura and Sally. Hurricane Sally swept across the central and eastern Gulf, slamming into Alabama on Wednesday with winds of up to 105 mph (170 kph). Laura entered on Aug. 25 and hit southwest Louisiana with 150 mph winds.