Processors in states that Hurricane Michael is expected to hit are preparing for operational disruptions

Although Hurricane Michael is not expected to ravage the nation’s southeast states as severely as Hurricane Florence did last month, processors in states that Michael is expected to hit first are preparing for any operational disruptions.The 13th named storm of the 2018 hurricane season was upgraded from tropical storm status early Monday, and is expected to first affect the Florida panhandle and segments of Alabama and Georgia. A hurricane watch was declared Monday for the Alabama-Florida border to the Suwanee River in Florida. Storm surge warnings also have been issued from the Mississippi-Alabama border to Tampa Bay, Fla., before Michael potentially moves into the Carolinas by mid-week, according to the National Hurricane Center.