What Happened— Cameron Parish

Cameron Parish was the site of landfall for Hurricane Rita on Sept. 24, 2005. The eye of the hurricane passed over Cameron. The western edge of the eye followed the Texas border and the eastern edge reached Holly Beach, La. Wind speeds in Beaumont, Texas, were 105 mph while Lake Charles experienced wind speeds estimated at 110 mph. It is significant to note that these locales are inland while Cameron Parish is on the coast.  The parish experienced at least tropical-storm force winds for nearly 24 hours.

Storm surges in Cameron of 15 to 20 feet submerged the entire parish.  Even portions of the northern-most, inland parts of the parish were flooded up to two feet. Minimun rainfalls exceeded 8 inches.  The parish seat of Cameron and the community of Holly Beach were essentially destroyed; the only public building remaining in Cameron was the courthouse. The three public schools nearest the coast were destroyed.

The population of Cameron Parish was 9,681. A mandatory evacuation order issued on Sept. 22 provided sufficient time for 100 percent evacuation of the parish.  There were no injuries or deaths within the parish.