Data from the hardest hit areas along the central Louisiana coast remains sparse due to the small population density of the area. Storm surge unofficially peaked at at the Point Au Fer Reef Light. At the mouth of the Mississippi River, tides reached as high as above mean sea level. The strongest wind report was from Franklin, Louisiana, where a station clocked sustained winds of . Near the coast in Erath, a high water tower succumbed to Hilda's strong winds and collapsed onto an adjacent town hall where civil defense personnel were operating. The incident resulted in the deaths of eight and six injuries. Although there were no stations to report the intensity of winds in Erath, winds away in Abbeville reached . Hilda's sharp curve eastward after landfall and the advection of cold air from the north resulted in gusty winds over the New Orleans area, causing waves to break and spill over the seawall protecting the city from Lake Pontchartrain. The resulting waterfront flooding damaged fishing camps and other shoreline property. Elsewhere in southeastern Louisiana, strong winds stripped pecans and other nuts off of trees.