DELCAMBRE — Even as the storm track for Hurricane Delta continues to shift west, the side effects of the storm — humidity you can cut with a knife hanging in the still air under gray, ominous skies — are already over the Teche Area.

That isn’t causing a ruffle amongst the citizens of Delcambre. A little over a month from Hurricane Laura’s tear across the Louisiana coast that left more than two dozen dead and upwards of $12 billion in damage in Louisiana and Texas, the citizenry seems to be taking the latest threat in stride.

That seemed to be the consensus along the Delcambre Canal, which is already high in its channel before Delta pushes ashore. Some of the buildings, like OutRigger’s restaurant and bar, located on the banks of the canal, bear visible reminders of Laura’s passage.

“See that line?” asked Joey Douget, OutRigger’s owner, pointing to a black stripe that passed at about thigh height around the exterior of the structure. “That’s where the water came up to after Laura.”

Even with such recent evidence of a storm’s power, he and his wife, Heather, said they are planning to ride the storm out at their home in Abbeville.

“It is what it is,” Douget said. “Last time, we had water that got into our coolers. It rusted the bottle caps, so we had to get rid of the beer. But we just clean it up, mop it up and carry on.”

Although some businesses and homes, like the Bank of Erath branch in town, have taken some preparations, like sandbagging entrances or putting up plywood over windows, the bulk of the homes here show no signs of any preventive measures.

Early reports on Hurricane Delta’s track had it passing directly over the Teche Area, with the center of the eye projected to pass between Broussard and New Iberia. That led parishes and municipalities, including Delcambre, to issue evacuation orders for residents, schools to close for the duration of the storm and many businesses to close, giving employees time to prepare for the storm and, if necessary, make evacuation plans. But after an initial surge of anxiety and preparedness, many residents seemed less anxious Thursday.

“I’m staying,” said one Erath gentleman, who wished not to be identified, after filling up his truck at LeBlanc Fuel on Railroad Avenue. “It’s just another storm.”

That, according to Iberia Parish officials, is a dangerous mindset.

“The concern I have is that people get complacent,” Iberia Parish President Larry Richard said. “I’m urging everyone to listen to what I am telling them. The problem with these storms is that these are just predictions. The forecasters say it will hit Cameron, but that could be anywhere. It could shift and come ashore at Intracoastal City. It moved a bit to the west, so it is looking better. But I still feel that Delcambre is still going to get some serious water. Same with the Port of Iberia, Patoutville, all along the coast, from the surge.”

Even with that precaution, Richard said he is confident in the preparations that have been made over the last 72 hours.

“It’s been very organized,” Richard said. “We have been through this a dozen times, but (Iberia Parish Sheriff) Tommy (Romero) has some serious experience in his office. They’re on it.”