Louisiana residents are recovering after at least seven tornadoes tore through New Orleans and the surrounding area on Tuesday — prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency and send out the National Guard, according to NBC News.
One of the hardest-hit areas was New Orleans East. New Orleans East is home to at least 65,000 residents, down from 95,000 prior to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the area in 2005. New Orleans East is a neighborhood in the city's Ninth Ward.
In some areas, homes that were rebuilt after Katrina were damaged or destroyed by Tuesday's tornado.
Following a survey, the National Weather Service (NWS) assigned an EF3 rating to the tornado, making it the strongest tornado to hit Orleans Parish since records began in 1950, according to the Weather Channel.
The tornado also left damage to NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility and the USDA's National Finance Center's Primary Business Center. The buildings are located adjacent to one another in Michoud.
(Source: YouTube)
Also, late Tuesday morning, a tornado was reported south of Killian, a town of about 1,200 northwest of Lake Pontchartrain. The tornado apparently crossed Interstate 55 between Akers and Ponchatoula, the Weather Channel reported.
That storm moved east, prompting a tornado emergency to be declared by the NWS for parts of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes. Emergency management reported a tornado from the storm in Madisonville, about 35 miles east of Killian, where additional damage was confirmed.
As severe storms marched east, one person was killed in Florida in a damaging storm. Benny Hollis, 61, died in Calhoun County when a tree fell on top of him, according to WJHG.com. Hollis was in a 12-foot-high hunting stand when the tree was brought down by strong winds, the report added.
On Tuesday afternoon, a waterspout reportedly came ashore in Destin, Florida. According to the Pensacola News Journal, the reported tornado damaged the roof of McGuire's Irish Pub and hit an EMS vehicle, injuring one person.
Take a look at some of the property damage in East New Orleans from Tuesday's tornadoes:
Gregory Rugon looks for his glasses at the spot where he took cover in his home after a tornado hit his Warren Drive home, in the New Orleans East section of New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
New Orleans Firefighter Jared Carter spray paints a search signal after conducting a secondary search of homes damaged by a tornado that touched down in eastern New Orleans, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. Officials say tornadoes that struck in southeastern Louisiana destroyed homes and businesses, flipped vehicles and left thousands without power. (AP Photo/Max Becherer) 
A person is seen in a destroyed home, bottom left, in this aerial photo after a tornado tore through the East section of New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Destroyed and damaged homes are seen in this aerial photo after a tornado tore through the eastern neighborhood in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency for Louisiana after a severe storm moved across the state's southeast corner, including the parishes of Ascension, Livingston, Orleans, St. James, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 
William Bickham, left, and Desiree George look at George's kitchen which was damaged by Tuesday's tornado in eastern New Orleans, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Max Becherer) 
An overturned United States Postal Service truck sits on the grounds of the ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary school a day after a tornado touched down in eastern New Orleans, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Max Becherer) 
Allan Mercadel takes measurements to board up his windows a day after his home was damaged by a tornado in eastern New Orleans. (AP Photo/Max Becherer) 
Solomon Singleton looks at the damage from the second story of a friend's home a day after a tornado touched down in eastern New Orleans. (AP Photo/Max Becherer) 
A man stands next to a destroyed home after a tornado tore through the eastern neighborhood of New Orleans. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards took an aerial tour before meeting New Orleans officials. He says the path of destruction is wide and varied. In eastern New Orleans, he says "it kind of bounced back and forth" across the busy Chef Menteur Highway. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 
Artie Chaney reacts to her damaged home after a tornado struck while she and family members took cover inside, in the eastern part of New Orleans. The National Weather Service says at least three confirmed tornadoes have touched down, including one inside the New Orleans city limits. Buildings have been damaged and power lines are down. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) 
Destroyed homes are seen in this aerial photo after a tornado tore through the New Orleans East neighborhood in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Jayleen R. Heft
Jayleen Heft is the digital content editor for PropertyCasualty360.com. Contact her at [email protected].
