Hurricane Laura poses biggest storm threat to U.S. oil output in 15 years

Waves splash during the passage of theTropical Storm Laura in Havana, Cuba, August 24, 2020. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

HOUSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. energy industry on Tuesday was preparing for a major hurricane strike, cutting crude production at a rate approaching the level of 2005's Hurricane Katrina and halting oil refining at plants along the Texas-Louisiana coast.

Officials in the two states ordered hundreds of thousands of coastal residents to flee inland as Hurricane Laura strengthened and forecasters predicted it would become a major hurricane with sustained, 115 mile per hour (185 kph) winds.