As expected, the news stories covering the 10 Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina outnumber those remembering the 10 Year Anniversary of Hurricane Rita by about 10 zillion to 1. But Hurricane Rita sure left an impression in Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas.
It’s sometimes hard to remember how Hurricane Rita affected areas pretty far away. Even here in Baton Rouge, we experienced some pretty rough weather while Hurricane Rita lashed our area. I’ll especially remember the storm, because my wife and I were bringing our newborn daughter home from the hospital the night of September 24 – just as the wind and rain really got into high gear. Hurricane Rita was a scary storm to go through here in Baton Rouge – miles away from the worst effects.
For those of us who lived and worked in different regions after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, there were some similarities – but also some pretty wide differences. Many associate Hurricane Katrina with flooding only, while others associate Hurricane Rita with severe wind damage. As it turns out, both storms caused massive flooding and wind damage – it just depends on location.
Another common thread is the resilience of the people of the region – from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to Southeast Texas. People came back and got to work fixing things – and living. Every region has its problems, but I’m glad to say that in many ways our region has bounced back, and gotten even better.
Lake Charles Regional Airport is back – and better than ever
it took some time and a lot of hard work, but building owners cleaned up and got facilities opened
The last thing I want to say on this is we still have quite a bit of time remaining in this year’s tropical storm season. Don’t let your guard down.
Stay safe, my friends.
