Here’s why America’s crude oil supplies took such a big hit

Hurricane Ida unleashed winds and waves so furious that almost two weeks later, oil drillers, electricity providers and refiners are still picking up the pieces. They won’t be over anytime soon.

The damage to offshore platforms, pipelines and even helipads was so severe that two out of three barrels of crude normally pumped in the US sector of the Gulf of Mexico are not available. The ripple effects continue to occur as refiners and brokers scour the world in search of replacements and the Gulf’s largest oil producer, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, tells some customers cannot honor supply commitments.