Coast Guard Air Station Houston is preparing for the coming storms of Marco and Laura in Houston, Texas, Monday. - Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Noel.

Coast Guard Air Station Houston is preparing for the coming storms of Marco and Laura in Houston, Texas, Monday.

Photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Noel.

Crews are being evacuated from offshore production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico in advance of the twin threat from Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura.

Laura is expected to make landfall late Wednesday at a Category 3 storm generating winds of about 115 mph and a storm surge of 11 feet. Landfall is expected along the Texas-Louisiana border.

Marco made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River Monday evening.

Nearly a fifth of the 643 platforms operating in the Gulf are expected to temporarily shut down. Almost half of the 26 drilling rigs in the Gulf will either be evacuated or moved ahead of the storms.

All told, nearly half of the energy production from the Gulf will be affected, sources report.

Further complicating the situation is the difficulty of maintaining social distancing to protect against COVID-19 while transferring to shore via helicopter.

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