A Pictorial Log of Hurricane Rita's Path of Destruction through Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes
The Devastation of Hurricane Rita
On the never to be forgotten date of September 24, 2005, the worst destruction ever to strike Southwest Louisiana, Hurricane Rita, came barreling ashore, blasting everything in her path. The empty slabs where large substantial homes had once stood in Cameron Parish were examples of Rita's fury. The piles of debris which had once been banks, post offices, schools, churches and businesses, were shocking.
The first sight of this destruction seemed like a nightmare. By the second and third viewing, the mind finally accepted the devastation as real. “At least no one died,” were the key words spoken by the victims. And while it's true, no lives were lost in the actual wind and water, many deaths within the next weeks and months, especially among the elderly and ill, were blamed on the stress caused by this destruction.
This book includes photographs taken in all sections of the parishes by many different people. These pictures tell the real story that often cannot be captured in words.