Security Advisory
Tropical Depression Two: Early Preparedness Advisory for Southeast Texas Businesses
Tropical Depression Two remains a developing Gulf system with possible Southeast Texas effects late this week. Cyber One Solutions has begun preliminary EOC readiness steps while the forecast remains uncertain.
Cyber One Solutions has begun preliminary Emergency Operations Center readiness actions while Tropical Depression Two develops in the Gulf. This is an early preparedness advisory, not a declaration of emergency and not a prediction that the center of the storm will make landfall in Texas.
Operational Update — July 20, 2026, 5:45 p.m. CDT
The system remains Tropical Depression Two. The National Hurricane Center's 1:00 p.m. CDT intermediate advisory placed it about 115 miles south of Panama City, Florida, moving northwest at 3 mph with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. It is still expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha, but it had not reached tropical-storm strength at the time of that advisory.
Watches have expanded along portions of the north-central Gulf Coast, but no tropical watch or warning is in effect for the Texas coast as of this update. ABC13 reports that forecast guidance still ranges from a Louisiana land interaction that weakens the system to a track that keeps it over water longer and carries it toward Texas late Thursday through early Saturday. That spread means Southeast Texas impacts remain possible, not certain.
Cyber One Solutions' posture remains at preliminary readiness. We are monitoring official National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service updates, confirming staffing and escalation paths, and checking continuity systems. We have not moved to full EOC activation. Businesses should continue calm, reversible preparation and avoid making decisions from a single forecast model or social-media graphic.
What the Official Forecast Says
As of the morning of July 20, the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston office reported that Tropical Depression Two was drifting north-northwestward in the eastern Gulf and was expected to strengthen into a tropical storm near the northeastern Gulf. A westward turn is expected later in the week, bringing the system toward Southeast Texas Thursday or Friday. The local forecast office stresses that track and intensity confidence remain low beyond Wednesday.
The current Houston/Galveston Area Forecast Discussion says tropical-storm-force winds could reach portions of the region Thursday, with less than a ten percent chance of arriving before Wednesday night. There are currently no tropical watches or warnings for the Texas coast. If the depression reaches tropical-storm strength, the next Atlantic name is Bertha.
The Weather Channel and ABC13 Houston are also tracking the system. Businesses should use the National Hurricane Center and their local National Weather Service office for official watches, warnings, and forecast changes.
Cyber One Solutions' Current Readiness Posture
We are beginning minor, reversible preparations now because they are inexpensive to perform early and difficult to perform after conditions deteriorate. Our preliminary posture includes confirming the EOC contact tree and on-call coverage, reviewing customer and vendor escalation paths, checking monitoring and remote-support readiness, confirming the status of protected backups and recovery systems, reviewing fuel and power-continuity needs for critical facilities, and preparing customer communications if the forecast becomes more specific.
We have not moved to full EOC activation. We will increase our posture only when official forecasts, watches, warnings, or expected local impacts justify it.
What Gulf Coast Businesses Should Do Now
Confirm that leadership, facilities, IT, and key vendors have a current emergency contact list that is accessible away from the office.
Verify that critical backups completed successfully and that at least one recent recovery test is documented. A successful backup job is not the same as a proven recovery.
Review remote-work access before employees need it. Confirm that multi-factor authentication works, VPN or secure remote-access systems are patched, and staff know how to reach the help desk from outside the office.
Identify the systems that must remain available during a power, internet, or building-access interruption. Confirm UPS runtime, generator readiness where applicable, and failover procedures for internet and voice services.
Protect exposed equipment and records from water. Do not wait for a warning to move critical electronics, paper records, and spare equipment away from floors, windows, or known leak areas.
Decide who has authority to close an office, shift to remote work, or activate the continuity plan. Document the decision path now so employees are not waiting for conflicting instructions later.
Monitor official updates at least twice daily through midweek. Forecast confidence should improve as the system organizes and additional reconnaissance data become available.
The Bottom Line
There is too much forecast uncertainty to claim that Tropical Depression Two will strike Texas, but there is enough credible potential to justify a calm preliminary readiness check. Cyber One Solutions will continue monitoring official guidance and will update this advisory if our EOC posture changes or Southeast Texas watches and warnings are issued.
Managed clients who discover a failed backup, inaccessible remote-work system, or other continuity concern should open a support ticket now rather than waiting for the forecast window to narrow. Businesses that need help reviewing continuity, backup, communications, or recovery readiness can contact Cyber One Solutions or review our backup and disaster recovery services.