Lake Charles and Cameron Parish: three hurricanes, heavy hail and the grant that helps

Rita, 2005

Rita's center came ashore at 0740 UTC on September 24, 2005 in extreme southwestern Louisiana, just west of Johnson's Bayou and just east of Sabine Pass, with winds of 100 kt. NHC says the surge devastated Holly Beach, Cameron, Creole and Grand Cheniere, and may have reached about 15 ft in parts of the Cameron area.

The water then ran up the Calcasieu River. In several places the surge reached Interstate 10, about 25 n mi from the Gulf, and floodwater in downtown Lake Charles was as deep as about 6 ft.

Laura, 2020

Laura's eye crossed the coast near Cameron around 0600 UTC on August 27, 2020 with winds of about 130 kt, and an hour or two later the center passed very near Lake Charles while still a very powerful category 4 hurricane. NHC lists a gust of 133 kt at Holly Beach and 119 kt in Lake Charles; the Lake Charles Regional Airport recorded 85 kt sustained with a 116 kt gust. The storm destroyed the Lake Charles WSR-88D radar as it came ashore.

Surge inundation reached 12 to 18 ft above ground around Creole and Grand Chenier and 3 to 6 ft in the Lake Charles area. NHC calls the wind and surge damage major to catastrophic across Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, and adds a warning: had Laura come ashore about 20 miles farther west, surge in parts of the Lake Charles area could have been 5 to 10 ft higher.

Delta, six weeks later

Delta made landfall near Creole at 2300 UTC on October 9, 2020 with winds of about 85 kt, only about 10 n mi east of where Laura's eye had struck. For roofs, the key line in NHC's report is that in southwestern Louisiana, still recovering from Laura, temporary roofs that were in place were blown away. The Lake Charles airport measured a 54 kt sustained wind with an 83 kt gust, and Delta dropped 15 to 20 inches of rain between Lake Charles and Alexandria.

FEMA's major disaster declarations for Laura (DR-4559) and Delta (DR-4570) both covered Calcasieu and Cameron parishes.

Hail and tornadoes in Calcasieu Parish

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 41 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Calcasieu Parish from 2016 through 2025, four of them 2 inches or larger, along with 29 tornadoes. On May 9, 2019 a slow-moving storm dropped hail up to 3 inches across Carlyss, where most homes had roof damage and one roof collapsed, then moved into Sulphur, where many roofs had to be repaired. In April 2024 an EF2 tornado near McNeese State University destroyed the roofs of several homes.

That hail record is a reason to look at FORTIFIED's optional Hail Supplement. IBHS says shingles installed under it must rate Good or Excellent on its hail impact ratings, while metal panels must meet UL 2218 Class 4 and tile must meet FM 4473 Class 4.

Few FORTIFIED roofs, and grant rounds aimed here

The Legislative Auditor's March 2025 report counted 172 FORTIFIED certificates in Calcasieu Parish, only 2 of them grant-funded, and 18 in Cameron Parish, none grant-funded, as of February 1, 2025. The same report notes that LDI had focused recent LFHP rounds on the state's Coastal Zone and the Lake Charles area.

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program covers the actual cost of a FORTIFIED Roof retrofit up to $10,000, chosen by lottery, for homesteaded homes with wind coverage. Our home page walks through the steps and the insurance discount that follows.

Licenses for a Lake Charles re-roof

Since January 1, 2026, residential roofing work of $7,500 or more requires the Residential Roofing or Residential Construction classification from the State Licensing Board for Contractors. The board's contractor search can filter by parish, so a Calcasieu search is a quick first step.

Roofers are listed on the National Roofing Directory in Lake Charles and nearby Lafayette:

Frequently asked questions

Did Delta really strike the same place as Laura?

Nearly. NHC puts Delta's landfall near Creole, about 10 n mi east of Laura's, a little more than a month after Laura.

How high was Laura's storm surge in Lake Charles?

NHC's analysis gives 3 to 6 ft above ground in the Lake Charles area and 12 to 18 ft near Creole and Grand Chenier.

Does a FORTIFIED Roof protect against hail?

The base FORTIFIED Roof standard targets wind and rain; IBHS offers an optional Hail Supplement that adds impact-rated roof covering requirements. Ask your evaluator whether a Hail Supplement designation is possible on your house.

Where can I follow storms affecting Lake Charles?

The National Roofing Directory's Louisiana storm center tracks current storms and warnings.