2020 hurricane season

The beginning of December marks the end of the 2020 hurricane season, which was by all measures unprecedented. It broke all of the records: most named storms, most storms to make landfall in Louisiana, strongest storm to hit Louisiana in 150 years, most storms to form in a single month. The list goes on and on.

The state has spent more than $50 million to house evacuees after Hurricanes Delta and Laura, but thousands remain without long-term housing as officials phase out the hotel shelter program set up as a COVID-19 alternative to big congregate shelters.

Hundreds of thousands are without power Thursday after Hurricane Zeta tore through Southeast Louisiana, and some may have to wait 10 days to get it back.

Zeta has reached hurricane strength and is nearing the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday evening — and Southeast Louisiana is under a hurricane watch.

Tropical Storm Delta has continued to intensify in the Caribbean and could still make landfall as a hurricane on the Louisiana coast by the end of the week.

Starsky Thibodeaux slots another pallet onto the forklift, signaling a thumbs-up for the driver to lift. Standing overhead on the green metal scaffolding, two men in black shirts and hats await to load and strap in six more moving can lights, sending them back to the warehouse floor. It’s pretty standard stuff for the Lafayette-based professional stage crew; only today, these lights aren’t destined for any big stage or audience to spotlight. Rather, Thibodeaux and his crew are on hand to help a fellow live event company, Deep South Productions of Lake Charles, safely relocate gear after its warehouse roof was shredded by Hurricane Laura a month ago.

When Hurricane Laura made landfall on Aug. 27, it tore first through Cameron and Holly Beach — tiny coastal towns all too familiar with the decimation brought by hurricanes.

Now that Hurricane Sally has moved eastward and threats from the storm have dramatically decreased in likelihood, officials in New Orleans are exhaling a bit.

Hurricane Sally continues to strengthen as it makes a slow track toward the Mississippi Gulf Coast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Update: Classes are canceled Tuesday due to Hurricane Sally, NOLA-PS announced Monday afternoon. All school buildings and the district’s central office will be closed.