Humberto: Fast and not so furious
Humberto has come and gone, halleluiah. Wednesday morning in The Enterprise newsroom, it was merely a buzz about a tropical depression, then a bit more of a flurry when it became a named tropical storm.
By late in the day, we decided we’d drag out all those tarps we had stored away with the hurricane preparedness supplies we acquired after Hurricane Rita blew our newsroom out for more than six months. We decided, though we were telling ourselves we were confident that our newly repaired roof would hold, that putting the tarps over desks and computers was a good rehearsal for what we would do if a real hurricane blew in.
Then a real hurricane blew in.
We had multiple staff members who worked through the night to keep the news updated, and one managing editor who stayed in the building, sleeping in his car in the parking garage. Read his blog posting here.
It gave new reporters, particularly those who’ve never weathered such a storm, a good chance to get their feet wet (both figuratively and literally). It helped us practice our skills in keeping all our Website readers completely up to date with virtually constant updates of the news. It gave The Enterprise the chance to prove, again, that we are the best and most complete news source in Southeast Texas.
So, in less than 24 hours, we went from watching the weather, to being finished with the storm. No time to build up a lot of anxiety about where it might go or how big it might get. And, it was big enough – big enough that many of us may be, again, cooking on outdoor grills and sweating in our bedrooms for a few nights until we have electrical power power back up. And many of the students at area schools got an extra day off.
So, while we sweat and wait, I thought I'd share a story that might make a few people smile.
Back in 1986, Beaumont took a direct hit of another Level 1 hurricane – Hurricane Bonnie. Some people were without electrical power for two or more weeks then, but it was relatively minor – as hurricanes go.
Except at The Enterprise, where our building was fine, but two employees who had an outdoor wedding planned at Tyrrell Park that weekend faced a disaster.
The hurricane’s winds tore up trees in the park and blocked roads, so the park was unavailable for the ceremony. The reception was to be at their home – which had no power.
So, two days before the wedding, staff members and pitched in and changed those plans. The wedding took place at Riverfront Park, which was lovely. Those attending still refer to it as the “salute to transportation wedding” because nobody could hear the vows for the various activities in the area: power boats zooming down the river, a plane flying overhead, and, of course, a train traveling slowly down the tracks honoring the couple with several loud whistles.
The reception followed at The Enterprise building. It wasn’t the wedding they’d planned, but the marriage survived the ordeal.
Love and newspapers, even the weather can’t stop ‘em.
By late in the day, we decided we’d drag out all those tarps we had stored away with the hurricane preparedness supplies we acquired after Hurricane Rita blew our newsroom out for more than six months. We decided, though we were telling ourselves we were confident that our newly repaired roof would hold, that putting the tarps over desks and computers was a good rehearsal for what we would do if a real hurricane blew in.
Then a real hurricane blew in.
We had multiple staff members who worked through the night to keep the news updated, and one managing editor who stayed in the building, sleeping in his car in the parking garage. Read his blog posting here.
It gave new reporters, particularly those who’ve never weathered such a storm, a good chance to get their feet wet (both figuratively and literally). It helped us practice our skills in keeping all our Website readers completely up to date with virtually constant updates of the news. It gave The Enterprise the chance to prove, again, that we are the best and most complete news source in Southeast Texas.
So, in less than 24 hours, we went from watching the weather, to being finished with the storm. No time to build up a lot of anxiety about where it might go or how big it might get. And, it was big enough – big enough that many of us may be, again, cooking on outdoor grills and sweating in our bedrooms for a few nights until we have electrical power power back up. And many of the students at area schools got an extra day off.
So, while we sweat and wait, I thought I'd share a story that might make a few people smile.
Back in 1986, Beaumont took a direct hit of another Level 1 hurricane – Hurricane Bonnie. Some people were without electrical power for two or more weeks then, but it was relatively minor – as hurricanes go.
Except at The Enterprise, where our building was fine, but two employees who had an outdoor wedding planned at Tyrrell Park that weekend faced a disaster.
The hurricane’s winds tore up trees in the park and blocked roads, so the park was unavailable for the ceremony. The reception was to be at their home – which had no power.
So, two days before the wedding, staff members and pitched in and changed those plans. The wedding took place at Riverfront Park, which was lovely. Those attending still refer to it as the “salute to transportation wedding” because nobody could hear the vows for the various activities in the area: power boats zooming down the river, a plane flying overhead, and, of course, a train traveling slowly down the tracks honoring the couple with several loud whistles.
The reception followed at The Enterprise building. It wasn’t the wedding they’d planned, but the marriage survived the ordeal.
Love and newspapers, even the weather can’t stop ‘em.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 12:39 PM
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