INDReporter

Hurricane Rita, five years later

by Mary Tutwiler

It was dubbed the forgotten hurricane.

Making landfall in the early morning hours of Sept. 24, it was dubbed the forgotten hurricane. And that was five years ago, when Hurricane Rita struck southwest Louisiana a month after Katrina drowned New Orleans.

Five years later, there's paltry reminders in the news that the Category 3 storm wiped Holly Beach off the map, devastated Cameron, knocked out Lake Charles, flooded south Abbeville, Erath and Delcambre. The lone voice speaking for the Cajun communities is the Daily Advertiser, with two stories today and a package that continues through tomorrow and Saturday. Kudos to reporter Claire Taylor for giving voice to the folks who pulled their towns back up with hard work and very little federal assistance.