With the hurricane season under way, one of the issues we face is how to help keep the nation’s energy supply moving safely and securely as a storm approaches.  I thought I’d share with you some information about what ExxonMobil does to secure our facilities, protect our employees and the public, and maintain critical fuel supplies in case a hurricane threatens the U.S. Gulf Coast.

ExxonMobil has extensive production, refining and chemicals operations along the Gulf Coast. Our hurricane-preparedness plans are equally extensive, and we train early and often to get our people and facilities ready for the season.  You can read more about our plans on our website, but here are a few highlights:

• Throughout the hurricane season, we use advanced weather-forecasting tools to monitor potential storm activity.
• As many as 10 days before expected landfall – depending on expected trajectory and timing – we initiate a multi-phase hurricane-response plan that involves pre-emptive inspections and preparations, as well as shutdowns and evacuations, at facilities in the path of the storm.
• We pre-position critical equipment that can help keep operations running, such as portable, pre-wired generators throughout our Gulf Coast pipeline and terminal network.
• We use employee tracking data to make sure workers are safe if they have to evacuate, and we keep business running by arranging for office space outside the hurricane region.
• We provide regular updates on the impact on our operations at http://exxonmobil.com/stormupdates.

While safety and environmental protection are our top priorities during severe weather, we also seek to minimize a hurricane’s impact on our ability to supply fuel to consumers.  ExxonMobil’s supply organization works hard to secure additional fuel from around the world to make up for possible hurricane impacts on local supplies.

This is what happened during hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.  Those back-to-back storms were particularly challenging; Hurricane Ike forced the relocation of our Houston operations headquarters to Dallas.  But even then, we were able to restore fuel supplies and other essential services quickly and safely through a combination of communication, cooperation and rigorous planning and preparation.  You can read more about our actions during Gustav and Ike here.

At ExxonMobil, a commitment to risk management and emergency preparedness is ingrained in how we do business. Being prepared for hurricanes is one part of that commitment.  But it’s especially important to the thousands of ExxonMobil employees who live and work in the Gulf Coast states that provide so much of America’s energy.

Note: This year’s hurricane season brings a new element of concern because, as we already saw during Hurricane Alex, high winds and rough seas can impede the ongoing response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.  Also, many are asking how hurricanes might interact with the oil spill created by the accident; a fact sheet prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may help answer some of those questions.