LAKE CHARLES, La. (KLFY/AP) — A tornado in western Louisiana damaged more than a dozen homes in a part of the state still struggling to recover from repeated weather disasters.
At least one tornado is believed to have ripped through neighborhoods, leaving destruction in it’s path. Windows were busted, brick walls were torn down, and roofs were blown off of homes. One family was inside their home when a tornado ripped their roof completely off.
The mother, father, and their two teenage children ran into a hallway, which was the only place left in the home with a cover above their heads.
The family said they were hiding, ducking for cover, and hoping they were going to make it out alive. They say right before the tornado hit, everything went dark and quiet. Then there was chaos and destruction.
The brick wall separating the living room from the back patio was torn apart, and patio furniture flew into the living and dining areas. The roof in the living room, dining room, and kitchen was blown off entirely.
The family said it was a terrifying experience, but it’s one they’re thankful they somehow all made it through.
It’s not just their home that was devastated by the tornado; many homes in the neighborhood now have roof damage.
The people in the neighborhood say they can’t believe they made it through Hurricane Laura a year ago, only to have their homes destroyed like this.
The National Weather Service said in a preliminary report posted on Twitter that an EF-2 tornado caused “significant structural damage” to about a dozen homes when it touched down around midday Wednesday.
Several other homes also received minor damage. Two people were injured. The tornado was part of a line of severe weather that moved from Texas across southern Louisiana and into Mississippi. Wednesday’s severe weather was the latest weather calamity to batter the Lake Charles region in a little over a year.
Governor John Bel Edwards will travel to Lake Charles Thursday, where he will hold a press conference after assessing damages from the severe weather.
