Edouard made this a doughnut day
There were doughnuts and muffins in the newsroom this morning, partially because we all love them, partially because it’s Friday and it’s been a tough week, and partially because one of the bosses thought we needed a bit of recognition for some hard work.
Those of us who have lived on the Gulf Coast for awhile recognize that Edouard was barely a blip on our long-term hurricane radar. It, after all, wasn’t even a hurricane.
But those of you who shared our 2005 experience with Hurricane Rita also know that we’re all still a bit nervous about just what these weather phenomenon can do to our lives, both short-term and long-term.
The Enterprise suffered serious damage in Rita . . . so much so that we were out of the newsroom for more than six months. It helped motivate us to be better prepared for the next big storm that might come our way . . . and it also made us nervous about that prospect.
Our hurricane-preparation items now include a big stack of tarps which we used to cover desks and computers last year before Humberto . . . and again Monday night for Edouard. As I told one relatively new staff member, I’d rather tarp desks every night than ever have to deal with the watery mess we dealt with after Rita.
So, Edouard, for us, meant some extra work, but it also mean some good work, which, hopefully provided information and reassurance for our readers.
Tuesday, the day the storm hit, our staff member posted 43 Edouard-themed stories on BeaumontEnterprise.com in addition to the 50-plus-photo gallery. We also shared seven videos, five links to breaking news and numerous single stories updated by reporters throughout the day.
The storm tested us, again. We think we passed the test, again.
Those of us who have lived on the Gulf Coast for awhile recognize that Edouard was barely a blip on our long-term hurricane radar. It, after all, wasn’t even a hurricane.
But those of you who shared our 2005 experience with Hurricane Rita also know that we’re all still a bit nervous about just what these weather phenomenon can do to our lives, both short-term and long-term.
The Enterprise suffered serious damage in Rita . . . so much so that we were out of the newsroom for more than six months. It helped motivate us to be better prepared for the next big storm that might come our way . . . and it also made us nervous about that prospect.
Our hurricane-preparation items now include a big stack of tarps which we used to cover desks and computers last year before Humberto . . . and again Monday night for Edouard. As I told one relatively new staff member, I’d rather tarp desks every night than ever have to deal with the watery mess we dealt with after Rita.
So, Edouard, for us, meant some extra work, but it also mean some good work, which, hopefully provided information and reassurance for our readers.
Tuesday, the day the storm hit, our staff member posted 43 Edouard-themed stories on BeaumontEnterprise.com in addition to the 50-plus-photo gallery. We also shared seven videos, five links to breaking news and numerous single stories updated by reporters throughout the day.
The storm tested us, again. We think we passed the test, again.
posted by Sheila Friedeck at 11:09 AM
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