SABINE PASS, Texas — Two decades after Hurricane Rita devastated Sabine Pass, the area has transformed through years of rebuilding following one of Southeast Texas's most destructive storms .

The Category 3 hurricane struck Sept. 24, 2005, with 100 mph winds that reached as far inland as Beaumont. Rita killed seven people directly and more than 100 others died in the aftermath, many during evacuation accidents.

Storm surge of 5 to 10 feet flooded coastal areas of Jefferson County, leaving the community without power for at least two months.

Kristi Heid, superintendent of Sabine Pass Independent School District, has lived in Southeast Texas her entire life but says nothing prepared her for Rita's impact.

"We had never seen the devastation that Rita brought. It was new for all of us,"

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