Two decades after Hurricane Rita struck southwest Louisiana , one of its enduring impacts is how the region prepares for and responds to disasters, having paved the way for stricter building standards and more detailed evacuation and shelter planning.

The Category 3 hurricane’s storm surge flooded coastal parishes and its high winds uprooted trees, splintered utility poles and peeled roofs from homes in Lake Charles, Sulphur and Westlake.

Just a few weeks before Rita made landfall, Hurricane Katrina’s hit on the southeastern side of the state offered a warning for public officials in southwest Louisiana, who started to worry that they would eventually face a major storm. The concern quickly became a reality.

“That shocked us into awareness,” said Randy Roach, who was mayor of Lake Ch

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