The USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program has conducted some Hurricane Rita impact studies and the results are very alarming. The surge from Hurricane Rita completely wiped out small buildings and homes in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The USGS has provided several before and after comparison photos like the one on the right to show the devastation. The surge was 20 feet is some areas. The photograph comparison on the right is from Holly Beach and as you can see the surge completely wiped out the buildings located near the shoreline.
The beaches of Cameron Parish, Louisiana were located just east of the point of landfall for Hurricane Rita, in the right-front quadrant where winds and surge were a maximum. Some small towns in this zone no longer have any structures remaining. The combination of low elevations and a storm surge approaching 6 m (20 ft) that swept across the coast, resulted in bare concrete slabs and less-than-vertical pilings where buildings had been located.
Be sure to visit the USGS page for more comparison photographs.
The USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program has conducted some Hurricane Rita impact studies and the results are very alarming. The surge from Hurricane Rita completely wiped out small buildings and homes in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The USGS has 
