The demolition of the Hertz Tower marks the end of a hurricane-damaged landmark in Lake Charles

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An abandoned 22-story building in Lake Charles, Louisiana — once a city icon that became a symbol of destruction from Hurricanes Laura and Delta — was blown up Saturday after sitting vacant for almost four years.

The Hertz Tower collapsed within seconds after a demolition crew set off a series of explosions inside. The tower fell in a great cloud of dust in a heap about five stories high.

The building, formerly known as the Capital One Tower, has been a dominant feature of the city’s skyline for more than four decades. However, after a series of hurricanes tore through southwest Louisiana in 2020, the building became a disaster, its windows shattered and covered in shredded tarps.

For years, the building’s owners, Los Angeles-based real estate firm Hertz Investment Group, have vowed to repair the structure once they settled with their insurance provider Zurich in court, The Advocate reported. The estimated cost of bringing the building up to code was $167 million. Ultimately, the two sides settled for an undisclosed sum.

The demolition was financed with $7 million in private money secured by the city. Hertz still owns the property, and the future of the site is undetermined, according to the city.

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter described the building’s implosion as “bittersweet.”

“I know how hard the city tried to work with several development groups to see it saved, but in the end … it just proved to be too much of a burden,” Hunter said before the implosion. He was in office during the hurricanes. “Right now, I’m ready for a resolution. Four years have passed. It’s been quite a while.”

Lake Charles, which sits on the banks of the Calcasieu River and is a two-hour drive from Houston, is home to about 80,000 residents. While the city is known for its many festivals, bayous, casinos, and Cajun flair, it has also been labeled “America’s most weather-beaten city” by the Weather Channel.

Hurricane Delta made landfall in southern Louisiana in October 2020, just six weeks after Laura took a similar, destructive path along the US Gulf Coast. At the time, Lake Charles was already reeling from damage from Laura, which slammed into roofs, claimed more than 25 lives in the region and left mud and debris littering the streets.

The Hertz Tower provides an example of the city’s long road to recovery from back-to-back hurricanes that caused an estimated $22 billion in damage, according to the National Hurricane Center.

While there are signs of rebuilding and growth in much of Lake Charles, there are still buildings that remain in disrepair and residents living in the same conditions as four years ago – waiting for financial aid to rebuild their homes, looking for affordable housing after the hurricanes . the destruction exacerbated the housing crisis or stuck in court with their insurance provider to get a fair payout.

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Catastrophe Natural disasters Hurricane