A line of powerful storms moving across the South turned deadly in Louisiana after causing destruction in Texas and Oklahoma. A tornado hit the New Orleans metro area on Wednesday damaging multiple structures and taking down power lines.
Thousands were left without power. Earlier, a woman and a young boy were killed when a tornado touched down in Louisiana’s Caddo Parish south of Shreveport on Tuesday, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies went door to door after 20 to 30 homes were damaged in the community of Keithville, KTAL reports.
Two people were taken to a hospital. About 90 miles to the northeast, nearly 25 people were injured when a tornado struck the town of Farmerville, Louisiana, Tuesday evening. Rescuers continued to search late into the night. Tornadoes tearing through Louisiana and Mississippi Wednesday brought deadly hazards, injured dozens, and wrought mass destruction.
Photos captured throughout the day showcase the devastation across the states, the second straight day that tornadoes have hit the southern areas. Officials in St. Bernard Parish have confirmed that a tornado touched down in the New Orleans suburb of Arabi, Louisiana, causing major damage Wednesday afternoon. Local firefighters and police were assessing the damage, and officials urged residents to stay out of the area until further notice.
A local news camera captured the tornado on the ground in Arabi and the Lower Ninth Ward. Arabi and Lower Ninth Ward have been beleaguered with severe weather this year, as the area was also hit with a tornado that rampaged through the area in March, destroying dozens of homes and buildings.
An apparent tornado has hit the Westbank area of New Orleans in the late afternoon hours Wednesday, damaging local homes and businesses. At approximately 4:30 p.m. local time, photos were released of a street completely torn up by the storm, sending debris flying. Off the Westbank Expressway in Marrero, about 9 miles southwest of downtown New Orleans, structural damage was seen at a local Winn-Dixie grocery store.
The tornado and storms in New Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard parishes have left more than 30,000 customers without power as of 4:30 p.m. local time.
