"Ivan" Swaths the Gulf Coast

"Ivan" blasted ashore in Alabama with winds of 130 mph, hurling deadly tornadoes, monstrous waves that flattened beach houses and torrential rains that swamped communities from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

While "Ivan" was centered in Alabama, the Florida Panhandle was hit the hardest, with at least eight people dead. Two people were killed when at least five tornadoes raged through Florida's Bay County. Five people were killed when another tornado slammed into a home in Blountstown, Florida.

Four evacuees, including a terminally ill cancer patient, two nursing home patients and a homebound patient, were killed while being transported from their South Louisiana homes to safer parts of the state.

At least 260,000 homes and businesses were without power in Alabama, 36,000 in Louisiana, and 50,000 in Mississippi. More than 300,000 homes are without power in four western Florida Panhandle counties.

Oil Fields & Shipping:

"Ivan" shut down oil rigs and ports in the Gulf of Mexico, including the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), which handles about 1 million barrels per day.

States along the Gulf receive more than half of the U.S. oil imports and are home to 50 percent of the country's refining capacity. Shell evacuated its offshore crews and idle its 272,000 barrel drilling operation in the Gulf. BP evacuated 1,900 of its 2,300 offshore workers.

The Energy Department reported six consecutive declines in the nation's oil supply and last week reported a further 1.4 million barrel decline. Hurricane "Ivan" has had a severe impact on the nation's oil supplies, as it closes ports and ceases offshore oil production. The nation's current supply is 285.7 million barrels in the week ending September 3rd.