Homeland Security official urges Calcasieu residents to prepare as hurricane season nears peak

Jared Mays, director of the Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, briefed the Calcasieu Parish Ways and Means committee on the 2026 hurricane season and urged residents to prepare ahead of the seasonal peak.

“Hot off the press today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, decreased their predictions,” Mays said, adding the latest forecast calls for “7 to, 13 named storms this year, 2 to 6 hurricanes, and, 2 major hurricanes, which is a category 3 or higher.” He told the committee the season typically peaks around Sept. 10 and reminded residents that two storms — Arthur and Bertha — have already formed and impacted parts of Louisiana this year.

Mays reviewed recent storm impacts, saying one storm dropped “29.06 inches of rain” in a parish and caused major flooding, and he described how Arthur and Bertha developed in the Gulf before moving through or near Louisiana. He explained that this season falls within an El Niño cycle, which tends to produce stronger upper‑level winds that can reduce Atlantic storm development but can also increase rainfall in the southern U.S.

He urged residents to have a preparedness plan, monitor forecasts and sign up for parish emergency messaging. “Continue to be prepared and have a plan,” Mays said. He provided contact options as read in the briefing.

The committee did not take any formal action on the report during the meeting; the briefing concluded before a motion to adjourn was made.