Energy facilities along the U.S. Gulf Coast scaled back operations and evacuated some production sites as Hurricane Helene is expected to bring catastrophic winds and storm surges to the northeastern Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Helene escalated to a dangerous Category 3 hurricane Thursday afternoon as it headed toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as a massive, powerful storm. It was expected within hours to drown some rural, coastal communities in northern areas with a towering surge of up to 20 feet of seawater, plus torrential rains and destructive winds.