Heavy storms bring flooding rain and damaging winds
People in New Orleans and its suburbs were sloshing through flooded streets as forecasters warned of even more rain Wednesday after high winds ripped through the South, collapsing the roof of an apartment building in Slidell, La.
In Slidell, just outside New Orleans, police shared video of what they believe was a tornado that hit Wednesday morning. Outside a McDonald’s restaurant, a car was on its side, power poles were leaning toward the ground and large pieces of the McDonald’s Golden Arches sign were strewn about the street, the video shows.
In a Texas town, emergency workers rescued people from flooded homes and cars. Residents in Mississippi were warned to flee, over fears a levee would fail. And Louisiana schools and government offices closed Wednesday.
Heavy rain, tornadoes, hail and damaging wind gusts were all possible across the Gulf Coast and the Deep South on Wednesday, according to meteorologist Ashton Robinson Cook with the NWS Weather Prediction Center.
In Texas, several people were rescued from homes and vehicles early Wednesday morning when flooding inundated parts of Jasper County, near the Louisiana line, authorities said.
“The City of Kirbyville remains under water and is still the major concern at this time,” the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said on social media.
All major roads into Kirbyville, a town of about 2,000 people, were shut down early Wednesday due to the flooding, the sheriff’s office said.
Shelters were being set up after about 50 people were displaced from their homes, Billy Ted Smith, the Jasper County emergency management coordinator said. He estimated those people came from about 20 flooded homes and said there had been around half a dozen people rescued from vehicles.
He said that so far, no major injuries have been reported.