Hurricane Joaquin could cause major disruptions to power sources along the eastern seaboard, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Joaquin is now a Category 4 storm and is moving north, but it’s not clear at this point if it will make landfall on the East Coast, as Friday morning’s storm tracking shows it going more east than had been predicted. Regardless, it’s expected to cause torrential downpours along the East Coast and bring flooding to many areas.
High winds, rainfall and flooding will likely affect energy infrastructure along the eastern seaboard, the Energy Information Administration reports. Governors in Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and North Carolina have already declared states of emergency ahead of the storm.
The agency says Joaquin will affect power transmission and distribution lines, petroleum refineries, natural gas processing plants and distribution terminals along the East Coast.
In predicting the storm, the agency is looking back at Hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast in 2012.
Sandy downed power lines and flooded electric substations, with 8 million people losing power. The storm also damaged fuel distribution networks and terminals for crude oil and petroleum. Many gas stations were without power, making them unable to pump gasoline.
To keep track of potential energy disruptions, use the EIA’s interactive map located here.
