By Jane Sutton
MIAMI (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Karen formed in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Thursday and was forecast to sweep through U.S. oil installations before hitting the Gulf Coast between Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center said.
Energy companies in the Gulf started shutting in production on Thursday and were evacuating some workers from offshore platforms as Karen approached a region that produces nearly a fifth of daily U.S. oil output.
Three days after much of the U.S. government was closed down over a budget standoff, the Federal Emergency Management Agency began recalling furloughed workers to help prepare for the storm.
The storm, the first to threaten the U.S. coast during the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season, had top winds of 65 mph and was centered about 430 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
It was moving north-northwest and was expected to slow down and turn north. Coastal residents could start feeling its bluster by Friday night and the center was expected to cross the coastline east of the Mississippi-Alabama border early on Sunday.
A hurricane watch was issued for the coast from Grand Isle, Louisiana, eastward to Indian Pass, Florida, alerting residents to expect hurricane conditions within 48 hours.
Karen would become a hurricane if its sustained winds reach 74 mph. That was expected to happen late Friday.
