EARLY VOTING ISSUES REMAIN IN LAFOURCHE
May 4, 2018
Laura Mae Carrere
May 4, 2018
A tornado strafed buildings, moved cars and knocked down power lines on both sides of Bayou Lafourche Sunday morning, spurring a flurry of photos and videos on social media but causing no reported injuries as of early in the afternoon.
National Weather Service meteorologist Freddie Zeigler said the twister appeared at about 9:46 a.m
“As of right now we are calling it a tornado but the intensity will not be known until we get a survey team down there,” said Zeigler, who is assigned to the NWS Slidell office.
The tornado was spawned by an upper-level weather system that had been circling around Louisiana and Arkansas.
Lafourche Sheriff Craig Webre’s office reported that twelve homes were damaged.
Entergy reported 1,724 customers without power in various southern Lafourche locations.
One location damaged was the Sonic Drive-In on Highway 3235.
“We’re missing sides of the building and sides of the canopy,” said Sonic owner Sutton Travis. One of the restaurant’s customers held on to a server to keep her from danger as the tornado passed, Travis said.
Heading home with his family from a bird-watching celebration in Grand Isle, CPRA media specialist Travis Moore saw the tornado develop.
“It was something to see,” Moore said. “It was to our.
small like a waterspout … the trees all around us started getting windblown and then it made contact, hit the ground.” Lafourche Fire District 3 reported that firefighters were checking the structural stability of buildings impacted by the tornado, and looking for downed power lines.
Firefighters requested that Galliano be avoided by motorists There was, they said, heavy debris on both La. and La. 308. Only La. 1, they said, was completely dosed.
At the Sonic Drive-Thru in Gallano, cars were moved off the parking lot as tornado winds swept through the business, while also damaging its roof. A near by medical center was also destroyed in the storm.
