Calcasieu Allen Parish--Disaster Impact and Needs Assessment

Economic and Workforce Development

• Unemployment in the Parish tripled from 5.3% in 2004, to 15.9% in November, 2005. Many minimum wage jobs are advertised and remain unfilled for long periods of time.
• Calcasieu Parish lost half of its trees, estimated at 626 million board feet of lumber, amounting to 422 million board feet of softwood and 204 million board feet of hardwood.
• All six casinos in Calcasieu were shut down during the power outage. In addition, Harrah’s hotel was closed for more than four months and its two river boat casinos were so heavily damaged that they may be demolished.
• Storm damage is estimated at 50% to three major local crops: soybean, sugarcane, and hay.
• Additionally, approximately 900 acres of standing rice were lost in Calcasieu Parish.  The harvest was very recent and only one-half of the rice in storage was dried to the level of moisture for safe storage.  Most grain bins suffered some damage, with some rain damaging the stored rice.
• About 500 head of cattle drowned as a result of the hurricane.
• Farm buildings sustained significant damage: approximately 2,000 buildings were destroyed, 2,400 buildings experienced major damage and 1,600 structures sustained minor impairment.
• Approximately 3,500 pieces of farm equipment were damaged or destroyed.
• Most pasture fencing was wiped out.
• October, 2005 retail sales reflect an 11.5% increase from October, 2004.  (A high level of post-hurricane retail spending doesn’t always have a direct, empirical relation to population because much of this spending increase may be the result of consumers replacing items destroyed or damaged in the hurricanes or temporary visitors working on recovery. Nevertheless, it does indicate that a significant decrease in the overall population base did not occur.)

Flood Protection and Coastal Restoration

• The Calcasieu / Sabine Basin encompasses western Cameron Parish and a portion of southwest Calcasieu Parish, with about half of this area classified as marshland.  By the late 1970’s, most of this historical freshwater marsh had been converted to intermediate and brackish as a result of extensive channelization, saltwater intrusion, and increased tidal influence.  Hurricane Rita’s surge caused a significant spike in saltwater intrusion, which resulted in massive damage to the marsh plants and grasses and loss of wildlife habitat that will take years to restore.  A significant portion of the wetlands were degraded or lost due to the winds and surge.
• Hurricane Rita damaged critical structures and equipment in Cameron Prairie, Lacassine, and Sabine national Wildlife Refuges. Sabine Refuge is closed until further notice due to more than 1,400 barrels of toxic liquids and gases sinking into the coastal wetlands of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge as a result of Hurricane Rita, which smashed southwestern Louisiana last September. A report prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and released to the Cooperative Alliance for Refuge Enhancement (CARE) finds that 115,000 to 350,000 gallons of everything from oil and bleach to propane are contained within those barrels. (Source: Environmental News Service)
• According to the USGS, Rita’s surge caused detectable marsh loss west of the Mississippi River to the Texas border that could not be attributable to Katrina based on analysis of satellite imagery obtained a week after Katrina’s landfall but prior to Rita’s landfall. Now that the compounded effects of the storms on southeastern Louisiana have been analyzed, NWRC scientists are analyzing Landsat imagery to quantify Rita’s impacts in southwestern Louisiana.
• Further inland, half of the trees (cypress, gum, pine, oak) were destroyed by the 120 mph winds.
• The total impact of Hurricane Rita on levees and coastal protection is still being assessed by Federal and State agencies relative to the prior impact of Hurricane Katrina. 

Human Services

• Lake Charles Civic Center suffered damages estimated at $1.8 million.

 Education

• Both McNeese State University and Sowela Technical College sustained extensive damage, causing closures for several months.  Sowela is still holding courses on a limited schedule.
• According to Harold Heath, Construction Manager of Calcasieu Parish School Board, as of 3/15/06, the Calcasieu Parish Public School System experienced more than $17 million in damages including facilities damage, clean up, and mold remediation.
• According to Richard Rhoden, McNeese State University Facilities and Plant Operations Director, the University was closed for 35 days and he estimates physical damages to McNeese State University at $25 million.

Public Health and Healthcare

• The storm destroyed most mosquito control equipment (including 3 airplanes).
• Christis St. Patrick Hospital accepted only critical emergency needs.
• Christis St. Patrick Hospital evacuated patients to facilities north of Lake Charles
• Nursing home residents evacuated from local nursing homes via chartered buses after local ambulance contract.

Public Safety

• Approximately 20,000 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina temporarily took shelter in Calcasieu and were later forced to flee Rita. Some of these evacuees returned following Rita and some came from adjacent parishes.
• The Calcasieu Sheriff’s Department estimates damage to its facilities and equipment is $2 million to $3 million. All but a few of the Sheriff’s vehicles sustained damage from flying debris.
• Down power lines and one million customers were without power in SWLA
• Curfews established from 7:00pm to 6:00am
• Communication at CITGO Lakes Charles Refinery disrupted
• Citizens evacuated to South Beauregard High School were again evacuated north due to flooding.
• Gas lines ruptured in Lake Charles
• Significant damage to airport, including hangers and cell towers.

Infrastructure and Transportation

• The Louisiana State Hurricane Center estimates 8% of the buildings in Calcasieu were destroyed, with 46% suffering minor to moderate damage.
• Irreplaceable documents housed in the Parish Court House in Lake Charles suffered water damage from blown out windows and wind-driven rain and moisture.  These documents, which are stored in the basement because of the load limits on the upper floors, were in danger of being flooded and destroyed.
• Power poles and transmission facilities were destroyed throughout the parish.  Power was lost for one to three weeks, affecting industrial facilities, commercial establishments, and residences.  The loss of power also caused widespread shutdown of those sewer and water service facilities lacking emergency backup power generation.
• The Parish-wide highway system, including three moveable bridges in Calcasieu Parish, required extensive debris removal and repairs.  An early, rough estimate of Parish-wide highway damage is $20 million.  The I-10 bridge over Lake Charles, the main east-west traffic artery through southwest Louisiana, was first closed due to a truck accident and then for an extended period for structural inspection after a barge hit a supporting structure.
• Chennault International Airport suffered $35 to $40 million in damage, including extensive damage to two of its hangars, but was back in full operation almost immediately after the hurricane. Lake Charles Regional Airport (LCRA) suffered more than $20 million in damages, including damage to the terminal building so severe that the structure must be replaced.  In addition, LCRA was shut down for 15 days, causing significant loss of revenue, and spent $500,000 for immediate clean up and repairs before resuming operation.
• Power interruptions disrupted production at the parish’s petrochemical plants including Calcasieu, Citgo, and Conoco/Phillips.  In addition to power losses, supply disruption to production facilities occurred from wide spread damage to off-shore rigs and the port closure prior to and during the storm.  This caused undamaged facilities to lose production, worker layoff, and additional startup costs. 

Housing and Community Development

• Nearly two-thirds (61.1%), of the housing stock was damaged or destroyed by wind velocity and water incursion.  At least 24% of the housing stock, (19,338 homes), was destroyed.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed 17,104 temporary “blue roofs" on houses, apartments and a limited number of other structures that sustained roof damage but were deemed to be at least 50% structurally sound.
• Based upon anecdotal evidence, hotel vacancy is essentially zero.
• The population of Calcasieu was 183,577 according to the 2000 U.S. Census. By July 1, 2004, the population had grown to 184,961, an increase of 1,384 people, (0.75%), according to U.S. Census estimates.  Statistical and anecdotal evidence indicates that Parish population, including temporary residents, is currently between 175,000 and 195,000.
• Approximately 20,000 dwelling units housing 50,000 Calcasieu Parish residents prior to the hurricanes are now uninhabitable, so the population is encountering housing scarcity. Statistical evidence, however, in the form of public school enrollment, labor force size, retail sales, and estimates of evacuee in-migration, indicates that the Parish’s population is approximately the same as before the hurricanes.  For example, in December 2005, K-12 public school enrollment in Calcasieu, 32,532, showed a slight increase of 383 students (1.19%), from the 2004 figure of 32,149 students.  These recent enrollment figures indicate that the Parish’s population is essentially the same as during the 2004 - 2005 school year.
• Labor force, an additional population size indicator, also shows an increase (4%). Preliminary U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor statistics for November, 2005, show 101,000 participants in the civilian labor force, an increase of 3,900 workers over July and August, 2005 levels of 97,100.
• Regarding in-migration, approximately 10,000 evacuees from other places are now residing in the Calcasieu Parish.

Sources

• Joint Housing Solutions Center, Impact Analysis, Calcasieu Parish Overview, Zone 5, Table 1, 1/13/06.
• United States Army Corps of Engineers, Lake Charles Area Field Office, Infrastructure Snapshot, 12/12/05.
• Joint Housing Solutions Center, Impact Analysis, Calcasieu Parish Overview, Zone 5, Table 1, 1/13/06: “housing units destroyed” is derived from Individual Aid requests from residents living outside the Parish X average household size = 19,338 X 2.61 = 50,472 people.
• Joint Housing Solutions Center, Impact Analysis, Calcasieu Parish Overview, Zone 5, Table 1, 1/13/06.
• From Calcasieu Police Jury website, 1/6/06, and phone conversation with the Red Cross: evacuee families staying in Calcasieu, 4,000 (households) X 2.61 (average household size) = 10,440 people.
• McNeese State University College of Business, Southwest Louisiana Economic Indicators, December 16, 2005.
  U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2005 is preliminary.
• Louisiana Forestry Association, telephone conversation, 1/16/05 with Karla Johnson, Admin. Assistant.
• LSU Hurricane Center, Advisory 2B, 9/28/05.
• LDOTD, meeting with District Engineer Administrator, 1/13/06.
• CNN.com, 9/25/05.
• Meeting with Chennault Executive Director, 1/4/06
  Meeting with LCRA Director of Marketing and Business Development, 1/5/06.
• Platts.com, Transmission and Development Magazine, 10/12/05.
• Rigzone.com, Hurricane Rita Damage Assessment,
  10/10/05.
• Conoco/Phillips.com, Newsroom, 9/28/05.
• KPLC, Lake Charles Civic Center to Undergo Repairs, 1/12/06.
• Meeting with Capt. James Hines, 1/11/06.