![]() ![]() ![]() The bulk of the damage occurred in Lake Charles, a city of around 80,000 just 30 miles from the coast. The storm damaged nearly 47,000 homes and killed 33 people in Louisiana. In the less populated Cameron Parish, located on the coast south of Lake Charles, many residents had nothing to come back to. Half a million people were ordered to evacuate along the Gulf Coast ahead of the storm’s arrival. Hurricane Laura’s winds ripped glass from the Captial One building in Lake Charles, the City’s tallest building. The hurricane severely damaged residential and commercial buildings, knocked mobile homes off their platforms and blew out windows from the city’s tallest building. It was the strongest hurricane in terms of wind speed to hit the state in 150 years. Hurricane Laura slammed into Southwestern Louisiana as a Category 4 storm in August 2020, bringing a nearly 10-foot-high storm surge and wind gusts up to 137 mph. Louisiana’s low elevation, poor infrastructure and position along the Gulf Coast make the state especially vulnerable to these impacts, the “poster child for climate risk,” as Louisiana Gov. Others sleep in tents or trailers in their driveways.Ĭlimate experts say global warming will make disasters like these more common across the U.S., increasing the likelihood of heavy rainfall that leads to flooding and more intense hurricanes that bring stronger winds and higher storm surges. Many remain displaced in hotels as they can’t find contractors to rebuild their houses. Today, as the state enters what’s projected to be another active hurricane season, residents are still battling with insurance companies for repairs to their homes-the damage to which could be from either hurricane or the most recent flood. The state’s fifth largest city, Lake Charles, has suffered greatly from each catastrophe, leading the Weather Channel to call it the “most weather-battered city” in America. Two back-to-back major hurricanes, an ice storm and a spring flood have left the region, especially Southwestern Louisiana, in a perpetual state of recovery. LAKE CHARLES, LA – The last year of extreme weather in Louisiana has been devastating. ![]() Broken tree limbs and debris sit aside a road in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after Hurricane Laura brought up to 137 mph winds to the City. ![]()
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