BackHurricane Matthew: More than a million people remain in the dark
Almost 764,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark in Florida, and more than 687,000 had lost power in Georgia and North and South Carolina
Premium
San Francisco: Utilities from Florida to North Carolina were working to restore power to almost 1.5 million customers, and fuel terminals and pipelines were returning to service as Hurricane Matthew weakened.
Kinder Morgan Inc. said Saturday that its Orlando fuel terminal and Central Florida pipelines were now fully operational. NextEra Energy Inc. said it’ll restart a nuclear reactor at the St. Lucie complex in Florida, without giving a date. Matthew, whose top winds have fallen to 75 miles (121 kilometers) per hour, is forecast to turn into the Atlantic Ocean by Sunday after making landfall in South Carolina, a US National Hurricane Center advisory shows.
Also Read: Hurricane Matthew death toll nears 900 in Haiti, cholera takes lives
Matthew roiled markets for everything from natural gas to orange juice as traders bet on the extent of supply disruptions. As of Saturday afternoon, almost 764,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark in Florida, and more than 687,000 had lost power in Georgia and North and South Carolina. Gas futures rallied to the most in 21 months Friday on speculation that limited outages would keep demand for the power-plant fuel high.
Tyson Foods Inc. had shut a plant in Jacksonville, Florida, as Matthew neared the coastline, and Kinder Morgan Inc. closed terminals, pipelines and a liquefied natural gas terminal near Savannah, Georgia.
Twelve US power generators, including two nuclear plants, were in the storm’s path, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Cotton and peanut crops were most at risk from heavy rains, David Streit, senior lead forecaster at Bethesda, Maryland-based Commodity Weather Group LLC said. The extent of damage to Florida’s oranges and grapefruit “may not be known for days," said Shannon Shepp, executive director of Florida’s Department of Citrus. Bloomberg
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
