Possible twister rips Ala. town as tropical storm moves inland

NEW ORLEANS — Authorities in Alabama say a suspected tornado spurred by Tropical Storm Claudette demolished or badly damaged at least 50 homes in a small town just north of the Florida border.

Escambia County Sheriff Heath Jackson said the suspected tornado “pretty much leveled” a mobile home park, toppled trees onto houses and ripped the roof off a high school gym. Most of the damage was done in or near the towns of Brewton and East Brewton, about 50 miles north of Pensacola, Fla.

“It kind of affected everybody,” Jackson said. “But with those mobile homes being built so close together, it can take a toll on them a lot more than it can on houses that are spread apart.”

There were no immediate reports of serious injuries or deaths.

Damage from the storm was also felt in north Florida, where winds — in some cases reaching 85 mph — caused an 18-wheeler to

flip on its side.

The National Hurricane Center declared Claudette organized enough to qualify as a named storm at 4 a.m. Saturday, well after the storm’s center of circulation had come ashore southwest of New Orleans. By Saturday afternoon, it was 80 miles northnorthwest of Mobile, Ala., with sustained winds of 40 mph. It was moving north-northeast at 14

mph. Most of the heavy weather was happening far to the north and east of the center.

Early Saturday, the storm dumped flooding rains north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast, inundating streets and, in some areas, pushing water into homes. Later, the storm was drenching the Florida Panhandle and, well inland, a broad expanse of Alabama.

The National Weather Service warned of possible tornadoes in north Florida and south Alabama.

Parts of inland Mississippi and Georgia were getting heavy rain from Claudette as well. And though the storm was weakening, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm watch for parts of the North Carolina coast, which could feel the effects by tonight. The storm was forecast to cross into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday and regain tropical storm strength over open water Tuesday.

Residents of Pace, Fla., called 911 to report a possible twister that tore the roofs off two homes and damaged at least three others.

“Nobody’s hurt,” said Sarah Whitfield, spokesperson for Santa Rosa County, where the Florida homes were damaged. “We’re just thankful it happened after sunrise,” not overnight as people slept.

In Louisiana, the threat came a month after spring storms and flooding that were blamed for five deaths and as parts of the state continued a slow recovery from a brutal 2020 hurricane season.

Photos by Gerald Herbert / Associated Press A neighborhood in Slidell, La., is flooded after Tropical Storm Claudette came through. Police there said flooding also swamped up to 50 cars and trucks. Claudette came ashore as parts of Louisiana continue to recover from a brutal 2020 hurricane season.

Danny Gonzales of Slidell walks into his flooded house. Claudette also dumped flooding rains north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana and along the Mississippi coast.