The August Flood of 2016

[McNeese72]

I hear what you are saying and I have family in Cameron (including those in the office of emergency preparedness) but it definitely wasn't worse than Katrina. While New Orleans got all of the attention there was massive damage to the East of New Orleans. Ask those in areas like Waveland Mississippi how bad it was.

Two major differences. Katrina hit some major population areas while Rita hit some much less populated areas. Katrina was also a massive storm both in wind profile and storm surge in comparison to Rita.

If Katrina hadn't made landfall I believe Rita would have been pretty notorious but Katrina was like dropping an atomic bomb. Rita was just a major carpet bombing.

Actually, if you look at the meterological data both Katrina and Rita were close in strength. Both intense Class 5's while in the Gulf. The main difference was that Katrina hit more populated areas and got all the media attention. Most of the loss of life in New Orleans was from flooding that happened after Katrina had already passed. There were areas in Mississippi that got totally wiped out. Similar to what happened in Cameron Parish. I heard of people going back to Cameron Parish and not even able to find where their houses were. The concrete slabs were no longer even there.

http://www.hurricanescience.org/hist...ms/2000s/rita/

Doc

[HelmutVII]

8

Actually, if you look at the meterological data both Katrina and Rita were close in strength. Both intense Class 5's while in the Gulf. The main difference was that Katrina hit more populated areas and got all the media attention. Most of the loss of life in New Orleans was from flooding that happened after Katrina had already passed. There were areas in Mississippi that got totally wiped out. Similar to what happened in Cameron Parish. I heard of people going back to Cameron Parish and not even able to find where their houses were. The concrete slabs were no longer even there.

http://www.hurricanescience.org/hist...ms/2000s/rita/

Doc

They found that in Florida after Andrew. That lead to FEMA requiring latitude and longitude on all Flood Elevation certificates not long after that. Previously they had an address but if the houses were gone there was no way to tell where you were.

[NewsCopy]

Three weeks later, some Lafayette Parish residents still flooded

The rest of the story
KATC

[NewsCopy]

Officials: Heymann Center shelter to close Friday

The rest of the story
KATC

[Cajun90]

Actually, if you look at the meterological data both Katrina and Rita were close in strength. Both intense Class 5's while in the Gulf. The main difference was that Katrina hit more populated areas and got all the media attention. Most of the loss of life in New Orleans was from flooding that happened after Katrina had already passed. There were areas in Mississippi that got totally wiped out. Similar to what happened in Cameron Parish. I heard of people going back to Cameron Parish and not even able to find where their houses were. The concrete slabs were no longer even there.

http://www.hurricanescience.org/hist...ms/2000s/rita/

Doc

Doc I got plenty of family in your area and your right it was bad. The remains of my cousins home was found 2 miles inland from its former location and as crazy as it sounds there were definitely houses where the slabs were gone.

Katrina was bad not only because of the population density but it was such a bigger storm than Rita. Not stronger but larger wind profile and larger storm surge area. However if you were in the path of either one it really doesn't matter the outcome was going to be the same.

[CajunJack55]

Doc I got plenty of family in your area and your right it was bad. The remains of my cousins home was found 2 miles inland from its former location and as crazy as it sounds there were definitely houses where the slabs were gone.

Katrina was bad not only because of the population density but it was such a bigger storm than Rita. Not stronger but larger wind profile and larger storm surge area. However if you were in the path of either one it really doesn't matter the outcome was going to be the same.

Yes, I honestly think had Katrina not happened, more people in Southwest Louisiana would have stayed home and rode out the Rita leading to more injuries and possible deaths.

[CajunJack55]

I think Rita might have been more destructive than Katrina. Difference, people in Cameron Parish go out and took care of their business instead of waiting for the government to help them out.

Haha everyone i know in southwest louisiana was lining up for food stamps and got a FEMA check after Rita when all they did was lose a few roof shingles and some meat in their fridge. Everyone wants a piece.

[McNeese72]

Well, I didn't get food stamps. FEMA did help pay the hotel bill for the 10 days I stayed in Pine Bluff, Ark. Home insurance help paid the repair bill for the corner of my house in Sulphur that was wiped out by a big oak tree. And I was one of the lucky ones. There were houses near me with huge pine trees that essentially cut the house in half to the slab when they came down. Don't want to ever experience that again.

Doc

[Ragin4U]

Haha everyone i know in southwest louisiana was lining up for food stamps and got a FEMA check after Rita when all they did was lose a few roof shingles and some meat in their fridge. Everyone wants a piece.

Family and friends in NOLA. They pulled themselves up too. Didn't wait on the government to help. Lots of people were in no position to help themselves, though. All blanket statements like 08's are total BS. Like this one.

[CajunEXPRESS]

People were cheating the system by the thousands, but that is on the system, and not on the needy.

I worked for an Insurance company and we were prepaying policyholders thousands of dollars with zero proof of damage. We had to go after many of those policyholders to try and recover fraudulent claims as time wore on.

What do you think the feedback would be if we waited until proof of damages were demanded before payment as in most cases? My insurance company would have been crucified, and they would have been within the policy language.

Sometimes in unbelievable circumstances you have to use common sense. The amount of fraud compared to the true needs was minimal, and it was on the federal government to have the policies in place to minimize the fraud.