3 Tornadoes Reported in Southeast Louisiana

At least three tornadoes touched down in southeastern Louisiana on Mar. 9, including a twister that injured one person in St. Tammany Parish.

The tornadoes developed in a line of severe thunderstorms that moved across the region Wednesday morning on the heels of the Mardi Gras season, which ended Tuesday night. The New Orleans metropolitan area was put under a flash flood warning as downpours ranging from 1 to 3 inches flooded some streets.

Authorities were forced to use boats and pickup trucks to evacuate a mobile home park in the village of Tangipahoa late Tuesday and early Wednesday after heavy rains caused a creek to overflow its banks.

Kentwood police dispatcher Garrett Herrington, whose agency was involved in the evacuation, said the families were taken to a shelter. Some of the mobile homes were flooded, he said.

A tornado touched down near the St. Tammany Parish community of Bush, damaging a car, truck, home and trailer, parish emergency officials said. A woman suffered a cut on her head.

High winds also damaged homes in several subdivisions in the eastern part of the parish, but there were no injuries there, authorities said. Cleco Corp. reported at least 2,000 customers were without power because of downed power lines.

Entergy Corp. said about 7,000 of its customers had lost power in the New Orleans area.

The National Weather Service also reported tornadoes in north Kenner near Lake Pontchartrain – where no damage was noted – and around Lacombe where a roof was torn off a house.