A Huge Tornado Destroyed homes in New Orleans, including one dead.
According to media reports, a massive tornado slammed over New Orleans on Tuesday, killing at least one person, demolishing homes, and knocking down power lines, adding to the area’s recovery from Hurricane Ida last year.
Pictures on social media showed a dark funnel cloud touching down in the city and tearing across neighborhoods, with devastation recorded in the communities of Arabi, Gretna, and St. Bernard Parish.
Guy McInnis, the president of St. Bernard Parish, told local media that at least one person had been slain but gave no other details.
There was no official information on how many people were hurt.
“Five or six houses were completely demolished. There were individuals in the houses, and everyone has been found so far, “On WDSU television, McInnis said.
Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann of St. Bernard Parish told NOLA.com that he had received reports of some persons being stranded.
According to NOLA.com, the tornado in Arabi blew off roofs and smashed down trees and power poles.
Fox8 television uploaded a video on Twitter of firefighters outside a house in Arabi without a roof and had its walls toppled over.
Much of southern Louisiana is still recovering from Hurricane Ida, a powerful Category 4 storm that hit the coast last August, wreaking havoc on rural towns south of New Orleans and killing over 100 people across the South and Caribbean.
New Orleans, a predominantly Black city, noted for its jazz, Cajun-influenced food, and past as a major slave port, is still traumatized by Hurricane Katrina, which killed at least 1,800 people and was one of the largest and most violent storms in US history.
The tornado hit on Tuesday, a day after twisters in the area destroyed homes and injured people.
According to the website poweroutage.us, power was out for more than 17,346 people in Louisiana, 25,923 in Texas, and 11,646 in Mississippi.
In addition, Atmos Energy, a utility supplier in New Orleans, reported to NOLA.com that 8,000 customers were without power.
The storm front delivered heavy rain and strong gusts to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and forecasters warned that the region’s 5 million residents could face dangerous weather.
“These events usually take place around this time of year. Spring is when severe weather is most likely to occur, “Roger Erickson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, agreed.
Classes were canceled across the region, and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge closed its doors for the day.
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.