Cameron is the second smallest parish in the state by population, in part because the southwest region has a long history of being decimated by hurricanes. A devastating storm hit the parish on June 27, 1957. The storm killed at least 500 people and many residents who went missing in the hurricane were never found.
Almost 50 years later, in 2005, Hurricane Rita struck. Nearly all of the homes in Cameron Parish were destroyed. A third of the local residents who lost their homes in that storm decided not to rebuild, leaving the parish much smaller even a full decade later. Just three years after Rita, Hurricane Ike walloped the region, flooding the coastline. Even more people decided not to return to the parish after that storm.
More than 10 years have passed since Hurricane Ike, and almost 7,000 people live in Cameron Parish now. Most residents heeded mandatory evacuation orders on Wednesday as Hurricane Laura approached, but local officials said at least 150 people remained.
On Wednesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said he had heard reports that the storm would leave the region severely flooded. “They’re thinking Cameron parish is going to look like an extension of the Gulf of Mexico for a couple of days” he said.
