Tropical Storm Edouard is expected to come ashore today, with the heaviest East Texas rain arriving tonight and Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center named the system overnight. Advisory Number 4, issued at 4:00 a.m. CDT Tuesday, placed the center about 65 miles south-southeast of Cameron, Louisiana. Maximum sustained winds were 40 mph, and the storm was moving west-northwest at 8 mph.
Forecasters expect the center to reach the northwest Gulf Coast later today and then move inland over southeast Texas tonight. Edouard could approach hurricane strength before landfall, then weaken quickly once it is inland. Coastal surge is a Gulf Coast problem, not a Canton problem. The inland concern is rain. The office still has to function if the building loses power.
The National Hurricane Center expects 3 to 6 inches of rain across parts of the Upper Texas Coast inland through east-central Texas, with isolated totals near 9 inches. KTRE has issued First Alert Weather Days for Tuesday evening and Wednesday. A Flood Watch is in effect for Polk County and Tyler County. That watch does not include Van Zandt County. KTRE described Edouard as a compact storm and noted that some areas east of Highway 59 may see little rain.
A Canton office still needs a plan for a dark building. Current files should already live somewhere other than that office. Mail should open from a phone away from the desk. A generator helps only if someone can start it. A person who can reach customers from home is part of that plan. Hourly work follows weekday posted hours. Contract coverage remains on call after those hours, except on federal holidays. Write down the after-hours contact today. Waiting until the lights fail is a poor time to look for the number.
Do not wait for a flood headline in town. The real test is whether the office can take a call if the building is dark tonight.
My I.T. Consultants is a managed service provider in Athens. For a short review of backups or after-hours coverage, call 903-675-5431, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
