"Gulf storm rolls toward Texas, La." by Juan A. Lozano, Associated Press | August 5, 2008
GALVESTON, Texas - Residents along the Texas and Louisiana coasts prepared yesterday for Tropical Storm Edouard, which was rolling through the warm waters of the Gulf and threatening to reach near-hurricane strength before making landfall.
For vacationers, the timing of the storm couldn't be worse: The Texas coast banks on tourism at this time of year, with much of the state baking in 100-degree weather. The storm also comes in the wake of Hurricane Dolly, which took aim at the resort community of South Padre Island on July 23.
As Edouard approached, oil and gas companies in the Gulf of Mexico evacuated workers from 23 production platforms and six rigs, according to the US Minerals Management Service, which monitors offshore activity. The Gulf of Mexico has 717 manned platforms and 125 operating rigs, the MMS said. Edouard is not likely to disrupt production, according to one financial firm that specializes in the energy industry.
