 Before the storm weakened rapidly, people feared a large storm surge over much of southeastern Louisiana. Preparing for the storm induced stress, which in one person contributed a fatal heart attack. In Louisiana, a compact, rapidly weakening Hurricane Ethel brought significant wind and rain primarily east and southeast of New Orleans. However, the storm caused a maximum surge of only 7 feet (2.1 m). Although Ethel weakened significantly, the hurricane still lashed far southeastern Louisiana. At the United States Coast Guard station in Quarantine in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, sustained winds reached 92 miles per hour (148 km / h). A weather station in Venice reported a sustained wind speed of 90 miles per hour (140 km / h) and gusts to 105 miles per hour (169 km / h). Rainfall totals included 7.45 inches (189 mm) at Quarantine, 5.66 inches (144 mm) at Hopedale, 5.50 inches (140 mm) at Buras, 4.85 inches (123 mm) at Burrwood, and 2.90 inches (74 mm) at Port Sulfur.
