When the category 4 hurricanes, Laura and Delta, swept through southwestern Louisiana in August and October of 2020, their high winds, heavy rains, and extensive flooding left a pattern of destruction across southwest Louisiana reaching more than eighty miles inland.
Showing the generational resiliency arising from the impacts of numerous storms, the disaster-impacted communities of DeRidder and Lake Charles, along with representatives of Calcasieu, Cameron, and Allen parishes, requested natural disaster recovery assistance from the National Park Service – Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (NPS-RTCA) to help with the development of long-term recovery plans.
Working closely with local partners, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Park Service helped facilitate six southwest Louisiana community-led projects focusing on natural and cultural resource conservation, outdoor recreation, and nature-based tourism.
The hurricanes that struck DeRidder, Louisiana in 2020, failed to diminish the resiliency of its residents and leaders. In response to the damage wrought by Laura and Delta, particularly the devastation of West Park, the City of DeRidder, with assistance from the National Park Service - Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program, and Baton Rouge’s CARBO Landscape Architecture Firm, developed a master plan that will enhance this important community and regional resource.
