Disrupted: Valero Energy is the latest refiner to shut down its Port Arthur operations as rising floodwaters inundated parts of southeast Texas, FuelFix.com reports. Valero is following others like Motiva Enterprises, ExxonMobil and Total, all of whom are shutting down their massive oil refineries in the Port Arthur and Beaumont region. “Due to flooding and potential power supply interruption, Valero’s Port Arthur refinery has shut down in a safe, controlled manner,” the refiner says in a prepared statement. “We continue to closely monitor the storm and any impact it may have on our other Gulf Coast operations.” Read more from FuelFix.com.
Ready to go: The nation’s insurance companies are mobilizing in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in an effort to prepare for an onslaught of claims as the storm’s toll in Texas comes into focus. Although it’s still too early to assess damage in the region, losses covered by property policies are expected to top $1 billion. Insurance companies like Allstate are staging personnel in nearby cities so they’ll be ready to move into impacted areas once conditions improve. Farmers Insurance is staffing call centers with additional employees, and Geico is trying to connect with customers via social media. Read more from The Associated Press.
New phone, new look: Apple plans to transform the way people use its next iPhone by eliminating the home button and making other adjustments to a flagship device that’s becoming almost all screen, Bloomberg reports. The home button is the key to the iPhone and the design hasn’t changed much since it launched in 2007. But images of the newest version of the smartphone show a thin software bar across the bottom of the screen in lieu of the home button. Currently, users click the home button to return to the starting app grid and hold it down to talk to the Siri digital assistant. Read more from Bloomberg.
