Hurricane Rita's toll on SW Louisiana

Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise

A Pontiac Sunbird remains trapped in sand and other debris in Holly Beach, La. on Oct. 21, 2005. Holly Beach was eliminated in swarms of tornados and storm surge when Hurricane Rita hit.

This entry is for folks from Southwest Louisiana. Below you'll find links to the photos and entries my wife and I have created about SWLA since Hurricane Rita. To keep coverage uniform in the area, The Beaumont Enterprise allowed me to adopt SWLA. Consequently, most images from the area appear in this blog.

Christine Rappleye is the news reporter who works with me in the area. You can e-mail your story ideas directly to her.

We all look forward to working with you to rebuild Southwest Louisiana.

Sept. 29 - Thursday
Lake Charles, La. suffers storm surge
Vinton motel closed

Oct. 21 - Friday
Holly Beach, La. is gone

Oct. 24
Holly Beach isn't there (text)

Oct. 27
Cameron, La.
Oak Grove, La.
Holly Beach drainage ditch
Johnson's Bayou, La.

Nov. 26
Cameron two months later

Dec. 27
Cameron three months later

Jan. 7
Cameron evac order lifted

March 30
Holly Beach recovery
Creole recovery
Hurricane Rita, the forgotten storm (by Fayrouz)
Animals on the road (by Fayrouz)
SWLA churches destroyed by Hurricane Rita (by Fayrouz)

May 20
Johnson Bayou graduation 2006

June 24
Cameron Parish still faces insurance challenges

Oct. 21
Cameron recovery celebration

Dec. 20
Cameron hospital reconstruction