Severe storm brings one death, swath of damages to Gulf Coast
PANAMA CITY, Fla. – A cluster of severe storms swept across Southern states early Saturday, leaving at least one dead in Louisiana, bringing down trees and power lines in Mississippi, dropping large hail on a coastal Alabama city and leveling buildings in the Florida Panhandle.
St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard confirmed a fatality related to an early morning tornado in Palmetto, Louisiana. Bellard told KLFY-TV that Jose Antonio Higareda, 27, was killed when the tornado struck his home. In addition, he said, seven people were transported with injuries to local hospitals.
In Mississippi, a possible tornado ripped down power lines and trees in Rankin County, but no injuries were reported.
In Panama City Beach, Florida, a home and convenience store were leveled by a possible tornado, city officials said in a Facebook post. A resident’s photo posted by The Panama City News Herald showed the store’s roof and walls ripped away, but its counters, shelves and the merchandise they held appear untouched. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The town is in Bay County, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018.
“Many people were saying, ‘Hey, we know what to do. Sadly, we’ve been through it before’ and they pulled together as a community,” Panama City Mayor Mark Sheldon told the News Herald. “We were seeing neighbors come out and helping other neighbors and that’s what Panama City Beach is all about.”
In Pensacola, Florida, the roof of a brewery was ripped off by the storm, local news reports showed. The National Weather Service had not confirmed that it was caused by a tornado, but reported winds of up to 60 mph.
Images shared by news outlets showed car windshields shattered by hail about as large as baseballs in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Bellard reported that SLEMCO, St. Landry Public Works, Animal Control and the Sheriff’s Department were on the scene and working on debris clearance and restoring power to the area.