McGee Corp. reported Friday they evacuated some workers but were not cutting production in the eastern gulf. Thursday, BP Plc and Shell Oil also evacuated workers but kept production going. "If the storm takes a more westerly track" Murphy may decide to alter its plans, said company spokeswoman Mindy West. About 25 percent of domestic U.S. production of natural gas and crude oil comes from offshore operations in the gulf. Offshore production capacity is 1.5 million barrels per day of crude and 10 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. Katrina hit Florida for the first time Thursday evening when it came ashore between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. At least four were killed in separate incidents. About 1.45 million Florida Power and Light Co. customers lost electricity, and on Friday morning, about 1.1 million were still without power, the company said. Exxon Mobil Corp., ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil spokesmen Friday morning said they are monitoring the storm, but had not evacuated any workers or cut production.
