Hurricane Gustav is no more--just a series of thunderstorms swirling up north after coming ashore near Houma, La., sometime between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sept. 1. Houma is an energy town. A typical South Louisiana community that has its share of great restaurants and strong ties to the energy industry. A parish official said the damage assessment is still going on and will be for several days. And the same goes with the the Gulf of Mexico E&P industry. All the GOM players are reporting their overflights of their rigs and platforms reveals no major damage. The Coast Guard has reported no major problems from any of the oil and gas fields their aircraft have flown over during the days following Gustav's landing. So, it appears the energy industry has passed its first major test since Gustav became the first major storm to enter the Gulf since hurricanes Katrina and Rita three years to the day . American Petroleum Institute President Red Cavaney says that unlike the hours and days after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the energy industry this time was able to get a real-time assessment of its fleet through a network of sensors attached to the rigs and platforms. The sensors give onshore operators a feel for what conditions are like on the rigs and platforms and also, if that structure has sustained any direct damage. The sensors are attached on hundreds of the offshore fleet, he says. The federal Minerals Management Service and the American Petroleum Institute did help draft suggested safety rules that include such things as 12-point moorings as well as upgrades to communications equipment. The energy industry has spent billions in its disaster response programs and it looks like the training and hard work pay=id of. Stay tuned. More to come. The hurricane season is getting hotter every day and as Sept. 2, there are three systems churning away in the Atlantic with the possibility of two of them making landfall--one on the East Coast and a strong chance the second one will make it into the Gulf of Mexico. The season ends Nov. 1, so keep your fingers crossed and one eye on the Weather Channel. –John A. Sullivan, News Editor, Oil and Gas Investor, www.OilandGasInvestor.com, jsullivan@hartenergy.com