(FreedomBeacon.com)- Two severe tornadoes reportedly caused extensive damage in New Orleans, Louisiana. Residents were advised to seek shelter.
According to a 10 a.m. update on Friday, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported the damages inflicted by two tornadoes in Louisiana on Wednesday.
The EF2 classification was assigned to the tornado in St. Charles Parish that killed a woman and damaged 55 houses in Killona and Montz. An EF2 is powerful and has wind speeds of 120 miles per hour. In addition, the tornado went 4.76 miles in approximately five minutes. During that time, eight persons were hurt.
The EF2 designation also applied to the tornado that struck the West Bank of Jefferson Parish and continued to Arabi. On its 9.52-mile-long route, the storm with 125 mph winds caused significant damage to houses and businesses, but officials were fortunate to report minor casualties.
According to the NWS report, there were six injuries but no fatalities. The tornado lasted fifteen minutes.
Tornadoes are categorized as EF0 to EF5. The two tornadoes in the New Orleans metropolitan region were rated EF2, deemed “strong,” with wind speeds between 111 and 135 mph. The maximum classification for a tornado is EF5, categorized as “violent” with wind speeds exceeding 200 mph.
Reports show that Governor John Bel Edwards surveyed the damage in southern Louisiana on the previous day.
In New Iberia, where a tornado severely damaged the Iberia Medical Center, Edwards stated that it is unlikely that there will be sufficient damage to qualify for federal disaster funding, despite the catastrophic destruction suffered in several areas of the state.
Later, Edwards inspected the storm damage in St. Charles Parish.
Edwards stated that tornadoes are very different from hurricanes because their destructive path is sometimes only a few hundred yards wide.
According to the parish president, the tornado was centered in the village of Killona, where 55 structures were severely damaged. Twenty-four were compromised, and another twenty-one were deemed uninhabitable.
I hope all affected will have peace and the ability to rebuild and move on with life.
