As a Louisiana resident, if you’re reading this, you lived through Hurricane Laura, and you should be proud of yourself for surviving such a horrendous storm. Hurricane Laura was a lethal and devastating Category 4 hurricane that occurred in August 2020. The horrific storm tied with the 1856 Last Island Hurricane as the most forceful hurricane ever recorded to make landfall in Louisiana.
Hurricane Laura dawned from a large tropical wave that started off the West African coast in mid-August and formed a tropical depression a few days later. The next day, Hurricane Laura expanded into a tropical storm.
It wasn’t until August 27th that Laura made landfall on Cameron, Louisiana. Based on windspeed, Laura was the 10th-strongest U.S. hurricane landfall on record. At least 42 U.S. residents lost their lives in the storm, and there were roughly $16 billion in damages to southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.
Louisianans Couldn’t Catch a Break
Hurricane Marco came just days before Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana. Many Louisiana residents were already scrambling to get ahead of Hurricane Marco when Hurricane Laura made landfall. In fact, there were already evacuations in place in preparation for Hurricane Marco in the following regions:
- Plaquemines Parish
- Jefferson Parish
- Grand Isle
- Port Fourchon
In addition, a mandatory evacuation was put in place for all of the Calcasieu Parish on August 25th, which is home to approximately 200,000 people.
In order to assist displaced residents, state-organized shelters were put in place with cots at an increased distance due to COVID-19.
Inundated Regions
The satellite images below, retrieved from the National Weather Service, demonstrate the severity and reach of Hurricane Laura.
Hurricane Laura at Cameron, LA Landfall. Left: 2km Infrared satellite image at 12:56 AM CDT. Right: Lake Charles, LA WSR-88D radar image at 12:53 AM CDT on August 27, 2020.
As you can see from the images above, most of the state of Louisiana was impacted by Hurricane Laura in one way or another.
The following maps, provided by the National Weather Service, display inundation estimates for several affected areas in Louisiana.
Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
Cameron Parish – Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
Vermilion Parish – Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
Iberia Parish – Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
St. Mary Parish – Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
Calcasieu Parish – Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
Jeff Davis Parish – Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
Acadia Parish – Hurricane Laura Inundation Estimate
As seen in the maps above, Cameron Parish was hit the hardest by Hurricane Laura, followed by Vermilion Parish.
Structural Damage
Estimates place losses from Hurricane Laura anywhere between $4 billion to $12 billion, with significant impacts to the following structures and infrastructures:
- Residences
- Water and power outages affecting the operation of hospitals providing essential care during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Commercial construction
- Both low-rise retail to high-rise buildings
- Casino resorts
- Hotels in the wider Lake Charles region
- Oil and gas industry facilities
Perhaps one of the most devastating aspects of this storm is that Lake Charles is one of the regions in Louisiana that was hit the hardest by Hurricane Laura, and has been one of the fastest-growing developments in the area. According to a preliminary report from Design Safe, “It is surmised that Hurricane Laura’s impacts were likely more severe than they would have
been decades ago due to this rapid population and development growth.”
If you have been displaced and/or your property was damaged as a result of Hurricane Laura, you may be owed compensation. We have helped many other people with their hurricane damage claims, and we may be able to help you, too. Don’t hesitate to reach out right away with any questions you may have.
Call our office today at (504) 875-2223 to discuss the details of your case and schedule a free consultation.
