The most recent hurricane to make landfall along the southern coast of the United States is the 11th tropical storm or hurricane to hit this year and has capped off the highest-record for the state of Louisiana.
Hurricane Zeta marks the 5th storm to hit Louisiana this year and is responsible for at least three deaths after making landfall with winds in excess of 110 miles-per-hour. As the storm progressed over Alabama, it then weakened to a tropical storm.
The state of Louisiana has had a very rough year in regard to hurricanes and tropical storms. Hurricane Laura struck the state as a very deadly Category 4 and was followed by Hurricane Delta which exacerbated the damage already caused.
“”The problem is they’ve had to use some Band-Aids to [get power back up and running], and they’re going back to reinforce the infrastructure so it is spotty sometimes,” Lynn Jones, clerk of Calcasieu Parish court told Newsweek. “At our big precincts we have backup generators that will be on standby.… A lot of planning went into play because early on we just didn’t know what we’d be facing.”
People within the paths of these storms often can be displaced for months and have witnessed their entire community destroyed – like Calcasieu Parish, in which 95% of all structures were damaged after Laura hit and left almost 30 people dead.
Amid a global pandemic, this battered coastline is struggling to rebuild and weather more of the storms that could be headed its way.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by these devastating storms.
Watch a video clip below of the massive waves caused by Hurricane Zeta just off the coast.