The National Weather Service says it was at least an EF-3 tornado that tore through Arabi in St. Bernard Parish killing at least one person. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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HUD’s announcement of $450 million for those recovering from Hurricane Laura is welcome news. Brooke Thorington has more
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The National Weather Service says it was at least an EF 3 tornado with winds of at least 135 miles per hour that caused significant damage in Arabi in St. Bernard Parish. So far only one storm-related death has been reported and St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis says it could have been much worse.
The one person who died has been identified as 25-year-old Connor Lambert. A graduate of Chalmette High School, a former football player for the Owls.
McInnis says they have crews surveying the area and he’s discouraging sightseers. And while Judge Perez Drive is open in both directions, St. Claude Highway remains closed along with the neighborhoods that were hardest hit.
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There are many in the town of Arabi who suffered significant damage from a powerful tornado that ripped the through St. Bernard Parish community last night. Lifelong resident Tony Vitale says his home was demolished
Vitale says thankfully he, his wife, and his nine-year-old son were not injured as the twister ripped his home to pieces. He says the only place they could take shelter was on the floor next to a wall …
Vitale says all of the homes on his block were destroyed…
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Vitale says this is the third time he’ll have to rebuild his home. He says he’s done it a couple of times before, including after Hurricane Katrina.
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After a tornado cut a two-mile path through St. Bernard Parish last night, emergency response crews sprang into action. State Fire Marshall Butch Browning says multiple parish agencies combined their resources to begin the work of rescue and recovery.
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That work continues today, with teams still canvassing the area door-to-door and making damage assessments. Browning says the searches need to be done quickly and thoroughly so the next steps in finding necessary resources can begin.
Fortunately, only one fatality has been confirmed so far. Browning said crews will have searched roughly 2600 structures while trying to account for nearly 8900 people and the most important thing right now is finding every person they can and support will be available as long as it is needed.
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The HUD announcement of $450 million for those recovering in southwest Louisiana from 2020’s Hurricane Laura is welcome news in Calcasieu Parish. Alberto Galan who’s overseeing Long Term Recovery for the parish says the funding will in large part finally help with those unmet housing needs.
And while the state is awaiting those funds Galan encourages those in need to first fill out a survey with the state’s Office of Community Development. He says the survey is quick and easy.
Almost 19 months after Laura made landfall in southwest Louisiana, Galan says news of funding renews hope in the community that at least the process to get the ball rolling for those with unmet housing needs has been set in motion.
Galan says even with record inflation since the catastrophic hurricane, funding formulas recognize the increase in construction expenses.