Cameron Parish--Damage Impact and Needs Assessment

High winds, rain, tornados, a 20-foot storm-surge, and flooding that extending 20 miles inland caused severe damage throughout Cameron Parish.  Some small towns were completely destroyed. 

Economic and Workforce Development

The U.S. Coast Guard estimated that at least 250 commercial fishing boats were damaged during the storm, causing many commercial fishermen to lose their entire net worth as well as losing income for the past six months.  Many of these boats were uninsured or were insured for only a portion of their loss.  Estimates derived from interviews with commercial fishermen, public meetings with those engaged in the seafood industry, and personal visits with dock owners indicate that at least 60% of the commercial fishing fleet in Cameron Parish was destroyed or severely damaged. 

Cameron is the fifth-largest fishing port in the United States, and the annual catch approaches 280 million pounds with an estimated dockside value of $50 million.  A large number of the parish’s residents earn their living by fishing.  According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, a total of 1,838 commercial fishing licenses were sold in Cameron Parish; this number does not include those people who earn their livings in support industries such as ice houses, fuel docks, marinas, and grocers.

The sport fishing industry is also important to Cameron Parish.  100 guides who operate in Calcasieu Lake. 66 charter boats operate in Cameron.  Sport fishermen come from all over America to test their skills.  14,784 recreational fishing licenses were sold in Cameron Parish.  This translates into $5,268,466 in retail sales for a six month period and $12,947,178 annually, and these figures do take into account additional expenditures for food, lodging, etc.

In a parish with a population of less than 10,000, the loss of revenues generated by the seafood industry is devastating.  If the seafood industry does not recover, Cameron Parish will not be the same culturally or economically. An estimated 80% of the commercial fishermen may relocate to other fishing communities.

Environmental Management

The destruction of thousands of 100-year-old live oak trees generated 450,000 cubic yards of herbaceous debris along Highway 82 in lower Cameron Parish.  An estimated 7 million cubic yards of housing and industrial debris and 1,400 toxic chemical containers filled with an estimated 350,000 gallons of hazardous material remain deposited over 1,700 acres of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. An unknown quantity of containers, structures, and vessels lie submerged under the 27,000 hectare water surface of Calcasieu Lake.

Cameron Parish contains 4 wildlife refuges, all of which sustained significant damage from saltwater intrusion.  The cost and methods for addressing this damage are not yet defined.

Debris

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has removed an estimated 452,547 cubic yards of storm debris from pubic areas in Cameron as of January 18, 2006. This debris includes organic matter (trees and plants), furniture, appliances, building debris, water vessels, and vehicles. The Corps has initiated an effort to remove debris from private property where right-to-access has been obtained.  This effort may take 90 days, depending on access issues and weather.

Flood Protection and Coastal Restoration

Hurricane Rita’s storm surge, in excess of 15 feet at the coast, traveled inland more than 30 miles and destroyed natural ecosystems, deposited construction and hazardous debris over the entire parish, and interrupted shipping on federally-authorized navigation routes for 5 days.  More than 200,000 acres of fresh and intermediate marshlands were inundated with more than 4 feet of salt water for longer than two weeks. Salinity levels in the estuarine system were elevated to dangerous levels: in excess of 23 parts per thousand for longer than 3 months. This inundation destroyed the freshwater marshes, native wildlife species, and food resources for migratory birds.

All navigational buoys for the Calcasieu River Ship Channel were washed ashore. Destroyed vessels and debris littered the navigational channel, and the navigational control station near the Town of Cameron was obliterated.  The storm surge exceeded 9 feet at the Gulf Intracoastal Water Way, located 19 miles inland, swamping the navigational lock and rendering all electrical generators at the lock and drainage structures useless.  Nationally, oil prices spiked because 400,000 tons of barged oil and cargo could not move on the inland waterway, and 75,000 tons of oil, gas, and cargo were stranded at the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District facilities.

Education

Three of Cameron’s six schools were completely destroyed.  The other three incurred various levels of damage.  The Cameron Parish School Board reported sixty-two percent (62%) of all school facilities were destroyed; thirteen percent were damaged significantly; and the remaining 25 percent of facilities will require major restoration and repair. 

Public Health and Healthcare

Prior to the hurricane, Cameron’s health care facilities included a 22 bed hospital in Creole, a rural health care clinic and DHH Health Unit in Cameron, a rural health clinic in Hackberry, dental services in Creole, a private doctor’s office in Creole, and a pharmacy in Cameron.  Field inspections and damage assessments after the storm found the hospital, rural health clinic, dental office, private doctor’s office, and pharmacy were completely destroyed.

Public Safety

High wind, rain, tornadoes and storm surge wreaked havoc on public buildings in Cameron Parish.  Nearly all public building structures in lower Cameron Parish, comprised of Johnson’s Bayou, Holly Beach, Cameron, Creole, Oak Grove and Grand Chenier communities, were destroyed.  Only two public buildings, the Parish courthouse and the district attorney’s office, were left standing.  However, both are in need of extensive repairs.  Those buildings destroyed include:

• 5 fire stations
• 4 community recreation centers
• 4 Cameron Parish public libraries (includes a genealogy library and museum)
• 3 parish maintenance barns
• 2 parish multi-purpose buildings
• “Courthouse Circle”
• Cameron Parish Police Jury Annex Building
• Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Department Investigative Office
• The Cameron Parish Health Unit
• Cameron Parish School Board Office
• Cameron Parish Mosquito Control Barn
• Waterworks district 10 office

Communities further inland such as Hackberry, Grand Lake and Sweetlake, incurred less damage. However, public buildings in these areas suffered major damage and will require extensive repairs.  Those facilities in need of major repair are:

• 2 Cameron Parish public libraries
• 2 parish maintenance barns
• The Waterworks district 2 & 7 offices
• The Hackberry multi-purpose building.

Government administrative offices in lower Cameron Parish were the most critical of all public buildings destroyed by Hurricane Rita.  The parish courthouse and district attorney’s office, though extensively damaged, withstood the destruction of Rita but other critical public buildings such as the Police Jury Annex, the Sheriff’s Department investigative office and the parish health unit were not spared. 

The loss of, and damage to, these administrative buildings has put a substantial strain on government operations and recovery.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Electrical Power

Electrical power was lost throughout the parish. Local electrical crews and volunteer crews from other areas and other states worked to restore electrical power as quickly as possible. On November 11, 2005, the first electrical power returned to Cameron.  Electrical power was restored to all areas within a few weeks after.  Damage to transmission and power lines is estimated at more than $40 million.

Water and Sewer

There are six Water Districts in the Parish, all of which had damaged water facilities.  Water district offices and above-ground facilities and equipment in the southern portion of the parish were destroyed or significantly damaged.  Elevated water storage tanks and water mains were not significantly damaged, and potable water has been restored throughout the parish.  However, some districts will need the repair and rebuilding of some above ground offices and facilities. The extent of required repairs has not yet been quantified.

Most the homes and buildings in the parish are on septic systems.  The condition of these systems has not been assessed. It also unclear how many residents or businesses will be returning to previously-occupied locations. 

The sewer system in Cameron suffered a significant amount of sand intrusion during the storm.  The sand must be removed from the sewer mains and structures before the system can be returned to service. A preliminary cost estimate by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to remove the sand is $300,000.00.

Roads

Route LA-82 and Route LA-27 are two-lane roads that run through Cameron Parish.  Route LA 82 runs through the southern portion of the parish from the Texas border to Vermilion Parish and encompasses 44 miles of roadway. Route LA 27 runs in a north-south direction and encompasses 84 miles of roadway. In some areas of each road the shoulders show significant erosion.  Estimates show that 58% or 25.4 miles of Route LA-82 and 68.5% or 57.7 miles of Route LA-27 are in need of repair.

Housing and Community Development

Nearly 90 percent of the homes in the Parish seat of Cameron were destroyed. Homes in other portions of the parish sustained varying degrees of damage. Precise numbers are not available for current housing units in the parish. The 2000 census indicates there were more than 3,500 occupied housing units, of which about 3,000 were owner-occupied and about 500 were renter-occupied. The majority of the homes are single-family, detached homes; 40 were low-income duplex homes. As of mid-January, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers performed 5,462 structural assessments in Cameron, finding 2,691 structures to be unsound.  Another 809 structures were found to be irreparable due to mold or safety concerns, bringing the total structures to be demolished to 3,500. These structures include homes and other structures on private property.  The Corps installed 388 temporary “blue roofs" on houses, apartments and other structures that sustained roof damage but were deemed to be at least 50% structurally sound.  The numbers of homes needing repair, and the number that have to be completely rebuilt have not yet been determined.