Thursday, September 29, 2005

Lake Charles, La. suffers storm surge

Lake Charles was on the "bad side" (northeastern quadrant) of Hurricane Rita. As such, it was assaulted by both hurricane force winds and a storm surge of up to 15 feet above normal.


(Left) Casino boats at the Isle of Capri casino (bottom) were securely moored in Lake Charles, La. on Thursday Sept. 29, 2005. The Leberge du lac casino (top) has reportedly suffered more damage as most of the city remains closed to all but emergency workers.


Photos by Mark M. Hancock / © The Beaumont Enterprise


The Isle of Capri casino in Lake Charles, La. remains damaged. It is likely to be operational soon. Wind and tree damage in Lake Charles did not appear as severe as in Texas' Orange and Jefferson counties.


Harrah's casino has severe damage to walkways, however the casino boats were securely moored near the hotel.


Harrah's casino (top) and a nearby marina (bottom) in Lake Charles remain damaged, however the casino boats were securely moored beside the hotel and are likely to be operational as soon as walkways are replaced.


People inspect serious damage at a marina on Lake Charles. Most remaining small boats were washed away by the storm surge during the Hurricane Rita.


(Left) The shoreline of Lake Charles, La. is covered with rotting fish and boardwalk debris while some downtown buildings maintained much of their integrity.



(Right) Many large fish remain rotting along the shores of Lake Charles.



(Left) The boardwalk along Lake Charles remains damaged as reconstruction begins on Harrah's casino across a cove in Lake Charles, La.



A petrochemical plant in Lake Charles, La. doesn't appear to have serious damage.

For additional coverage, please see Hurricane Rita's toll on SW Louisiana or Mark's Hurricane Rita visual timeline.
 

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