Hurricane Ian halts economic activity in Tampa Bay area

Hurricane Ian slowed economic activity as it barreled toward Florida's west coast Tuesday, grounding flights and forcing Tampa International Airport to suspend all flight operations beginning at 5 p.m.

The airport said it would close to prepare the airfield and terminals for impact by securing jet bridges, aircraft and other equipment. 

"It's a very dangerous system," Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano said during a press conference Tuesday. "With the storm and the intensity of the winds we will close today at 5 p.m."

He noted airlines had already cancelled flights and moved plans to safer territory. By midday, a total of 147 flights into or out of Tampa airport had been cancelled, according to FlightAware, a real-time flight tracking website. Another seven flights were delayed. 

"To my knowledge, we have never had a storm of this magnitude," John Tiliacos, executive vice president of airport operations said at the press conference.

The airport operates about 450 flights a day, and it's unclear how quickly it will be able to reopen. It is located close to Tampa Bay, with Ian expected to produce 10-15 feet of storm surge plus 15-20 inches of rain, as well as high tides. 

Airport chief executive Lopano said he expects the financial toll of shutting down for a couple days to be "in the millions." 

"And unfortunately Ian is not giving us a choice. And so we'll just make it as painless as we can," he added. 

Ian heads for Disney

Walt Disney World in Orlando is also halting some its hotel and theme park operations in anticipation of Ian wreaking havoc on its grounds. 

"Walt Disney World Resort is preparing for necessary operational adjustments based on the latest information from the National Weather Service," the company said in a statement on its website. 

The theme park remains open, but some of its attractions and lodging alternatives, including the Copper Creek Cabins at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, the Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs and the Bungalows at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, will be closed Wednesday through Friday.

Lost oil production

The Hurricane has already disrupted the energy sector, too, with oil producers BP and Chevron halting production at offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

On Monday, BP said it had evacuated personnel from its Na Kika platform, which produces 130,000 barrels of oil per day as well as 550 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. It is also cutting production at its Thunder Horse platform, which produces 250,000 barrels of oil per day, as well as 200 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. 

Chevron also said it is removing personnel from its Petronius and Blind Faith platforms and temporarily suspending operations at the facilities. Combined, they produce around 120,000 barrels of oil per day.