Lafayette Parish was impacted by two hurricanes in 2005, Katrina in August and Rita in September.  While the path of Katrina was far to the east of the Parish, Lafayette absorbed a large number of citizens from the New Orleans region, putting a severe strain on existing resources and infrastructure.  Less than a month later, Hurricane Rita made landfall approximately 100 miles west near the City of Cameron causing extensive and unprecedented damage to the southwestern portion of the State, including Lafayette Parish.  Lafayette Parish sustained direct impacts from the destructive winds and extensive rainfall associated with Rita.  Further, Lafayette has absorbed even more citizens from the western portions of the State who suffered catastrophic losses because of the storm.

This rapid growth, combined with direct storm impacts, have already had significant effects on the cost and availability of residential housing units, social services, real estate values and rents, labor costs and availability, increased transportation costs caused by congestion, and the capacity of transportation infrastructure.