Senior Bush administration officials touring the Gulf Coast area devastated by Hurricane Katrina expressed concern Tuesday about possible shortages of natural gas, saying that the region’s production may not recover for months.

Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said there was less known about the damage to the natural gas supply system than about the effect on crude oil production. In addition to possible pipeline damage, he said, the hurricane also shut down gas processing facilities on-shore.

Last week, the Energy Information Administration estimated that natural gas prices would soar this winter because of the hurricane, including increases as much as 71 percent in parts of the Midwest.