Hurricane (Typhoon) in St. Tammany, Louisiana

Hurricane Lili, a major hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico, during the daylight hours of October 2, 2002 moved steadily northwest around 15 mph toward the Louisiana coast during the evening hour. The hurricane weakened rapidly to a Saffir Simpson Scale Category 1 Hurricane by the time it made landfall during the morning of October 3rd along the south central Louisiana coast. The hurricane continued to moved north northwest across south central Louisiana before turning northeast across the northern portion of the state. Due to the rapid weakening, no sustained hurricane force winds were measured in southeast Louisiana. However, storm surge was significant across the southeast Louisiana coastal areas and tidal lakes. Storm surge tides were 3 to 5 feet above normal across much of coastal southeast Louisiana except 4 to 7 feet above normal across south Lafourche and Terrebonne Parishes, closer to the location where the hurricane made landfall. Storm surge caused the most damage in Terrebonne Parish where many communities situated along bayous in the southern portion of the parish received considerable flooding. Storm surge also overtopped or breached several locally built drainage levees during the morning hours of October 4th. Particularly hard hit was the community of Montegut where many homes were flooded several feet deep. Over a thousand homes and businesses in Terrebonne Parish sustained some type of water damage due to storm surge. Storm surge flooding was also reported in southern Lafourche Parish where areas outside of the Larose-Golden Meadow were inundated by storm surge flooding. Grand Isle also was hit with considerable storm surge and beach erosion. Considerable flooding of roadways and low lying structures was reported in many areas in coastal southeast Louisiana outside of the hurricane protection levees. Along Lake Pontchartrain and Maurepas, low lying roadways and structures were also flooded, many having been flooded a week earlier due to Tropical Storm Isidore. No sustained hurricane force winds were measured across southeast Louisiana. Highest wind gusts recorded on October 3rd included: Houma 61 mph at 0200 CST, Paincourtville 61 mph at 0700 CST, New Orleans Louis Armstrong Intl Airport 51 mph at 0400 CST, Baton Rouge 47 mph at 1117 CST, and Mid Lake Pontchartrain Causeway 69 mph at 0530 CST.Strong wind gusts downed trees and large tree branches across much of southeast Louisiana. Property damage occurred when the trees and tree limbs fell onto houses and automobiles. In St. Tammany Parish, one man was injured when a tree fell on the mobile home in which he was living. In Point Coupee Parish, the emergency manager reported 800 to 1000 trees were blown down. Several short lived tornadoes touched down producing only minor property damage. Heavy rainfall was not widespread, in part due to the rapid movement of the hurricane away from the area. Flash flooding occurred in only a couple of areas.