By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – With the region now in the thick of hurricane season and Hurricane Danielle churning out in the Atlantic, local residents cannot help wondering if this year will resemble 2009, when no storms struck the area, or 2008, when Hurricane Gustav wreaked havoc and was followed closely by Hurricane Ike, which exacerbated the flooding problems for many.

As such, last week L’Observateur asked visitors to its website what they thought the rest of hurricane season held for the region.

Responses were surprisingly moderate.

Nearly 40 percent of respondents thought that, much like the season thus far, the region will experience a few scares before the Nov. 30 end of hurricane season.

About three in 10 respondents were just slightly more pessimistic, saying they thought a couple of smaller storms might hit the region, but the River Parishes would be spared a major hit.

At the other ends of the spectrum, an equal number of respondents thought that the region would either continue its winning streak or face a major storm in the fall.

A full breakdown of results follows:

• 16 percent of respondents chose “I think we’ll continue to get lucky.”

• 39 percent of respondents chose “We’ll have a few scares before the season is over.”

• 29 percent of respondents chose “We’ll see one or two smaller storms, but nothing major will hit.”

• 16 percent of respondents chose “There’s been too much activity too early. I think we’re in for a major hit.”