Hurricanes are beasts of mother nature that destroy homes and wreck peoples lives in America. They plague the United States yearly with increasing intensity. One of the places that gets devastated most often is Louisiana. Many hurricanes have hit Louisiana, but the worst of them were Hurricane Camille, Hurricane Laura, Hurricane 10, Hurricane Betsy, and Hurricane Katrina.

5. Hurricane Camille ( August 1969)

Hurricane Camille was the second most powerful hurricane to ever impact the United States. It devastated Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. It had less of an impact on Louisiana, however. It caused 259 deaths and cost $10 billion. The hurricane broke a levee in New Orleans and destroyed various homes in the eastern side of Louisiana. It ripped off roofs and left over 110,000 people without power. Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana was hit the worst because its levees on either side collapsed causing what a resident called “a death trap” of water destroying homes and covering the region. The hurricane was a category 5 hurricane that had sustained winds of 150 knots or 172 miles per hour and 900 millibars of pressure.

Ironically, the maximum winds are actually unknown because the weather station was destroyed by the hurricane when it hit.

4. Hurricane Laura (August 2020)

Laura was the strongest hurricane to hit west Louisiana since 1851 when hurricanes were first recorded. The area that absorbed the most of its impact was Lake Charles, Louisiana. It had storm surge of over 9 feet. A FEMA administrator, Deanne Criswell, stated that it caused over 24 million cubic yards of debris. Criswell also said to reporters from Fox News “this is enough debris to fill the Superdome six times.” This hurricane caused $23.3 billion in damage to the area. This hurricane was a category 4 hurricane that had sustained winds of 130 knots 150 miles per hour and a pressure of 939 millibars.

3. Hurricane 10 (October 1893)

This hurricane had multiple names, the “Great October Storm,” Hurricane 10, and The Cheniere Caminada Hurricane. This hurricane is second on the most deaths of any hurricane to hit Louisiana. As one of its names states, it heavily impacted the island of Cheniere Caminada, which is near Grand Isle. It killed around 2,000 people and destroyed the town of Cheniere Caminada. It was a category 4 hurricane. It had wind speeds of 116 knots or 134 miles per hour. It had 948 millibars of pressure.

2. Hurricane Betsy (September 1965)

This hurricane was the first hurricane to hit Louisiana that caused $1 billion in damage, hence its nickname, “Billion Dollar Betsy.” In today’s economy, it would have caused $12 billion in damage. It destroyed 75,000 homes and killed 76 people. It is a well-known hurricane, as a Saint Paul’s mother states, “One of the names of hurricanes I always hear about and remember is Betsy.” Betsy made landfall in Grand Isle, Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane. It had wind speeds of 112 knots, or 130 miles per hour, and a pressure of 946 millibars.

1. Hurricane Katrina (August 2005)

Hurricane Katrina will forever be known as the strongest and costliest storm to ever hit Louisiana. This storm killed over 2,000 people, the most in Louisiana’s history. While being only a category 3 when it struck landfall, it still ravaged and destroyed more than any higher category hurricane. It only caused this much damage because of its impact on New Orleans. It caused levees to collapse and water to flood in. This was later called “The Bowl Effect.” Incredibly, it caused over 80% of New Orleans to be under water. Katrina was the costliest storm on record to impact the United States, causing $160 billion in damage. At landfall it was at 920 millibars of pressure, and 125 miles per hour, or 108 knots. New Orleans is still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Katrina 18 years later.