Photos: Deadly tornadoes slam Louisiana as winter storm system moves east

Rebecca Corey and Yahoo News Photo Staff
Updated ·4 min read
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Devastating tornadoes generated by a major winter storm hammering the central United States have left at least three people dead and destruction in their wake in parts of the South, with twisters continuing to pose a threat in some areas as rain, snow and icy conditions move toward the East Coast on Thursday.

There have been at least 50 reports of tornadoes across Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Florida since Tuesday, CNN reported, and more than 15 million people could see severe weather on Thursday in parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Rankin County authorities and first responders inspect the damage at a poultry farm in Pelahatchie, Miss.
Rankin County authorities and first responders inspect the damage at a poultry farm in Pelahatchie, Miss., that was destroyed by a tornado on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Rankin County Sheriffs Office via AP)

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) confirmed Wednesday evening that a 56-year-old woman in St. Charles Parish died after a tornado destroyed her house, bringing the total number of confirmed storm-related deaths in the state to three. Earlier on Wednesday, LDH confirmed the deaths of a 30-year-old woman and her 8-year-old son “who died of blunt force trauma after a tornado destroyed their home” in Caddo Parish.

“I take away just how powerful and destructive tornadoes are,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told reporters Wednesday evening after surveying the damage in Union Parish. “It’s almost like rolling the dice. If you live on one side of the street it looks like absolutely nothing happened, and on the other side of the street you may have five or six homes in a row that are totally destroyed.”

Gov. John Bel Edwards talks with two officials from Calcasieu Parish in August 2017.
Gov. John Bel Edwards, center, talks with authorities from Calcasieu Parish in August 2017 as they prepare for Tropical Storm Harvey in Lake Charles, La. (Jonathan Bachman/Reuters)

The governor, who is surveying damage and meeting with officials in Iberia, St. Charles, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes on Thursday, said there had been significant damage in communities across the state, with 21 tornadoes reported in 24 hours. In Farmerville, a town in Union Parish, there was “extensive damage” at a number of housing units in an apartment complex, and 12 to 15 houses had been damaged to the point that they were unlivable. And in Iberia Parish, a tornado caused extensive damage to a hospital.

More than 50,000 accounts across Louisiana didn’t have electricity as of Wednesday evening.

But Edwards said that although he has declared a state of emergency, he doesn’t anticipate there will be a federal declaration.

“We’re not likely to meet the monetary threshold in damage that’s necessary to trigger that and trigger federal resources,” he said. “Having said that, my declaration means that all state agencies will be assisting all local governments to make sure that we can respond to and recover from this disaster. We’re going to make our agencies and resources available.”

Chelsi Bovie holds her niece's dog that she rescued from her home after a tornado tore through the area in Killona, La., about 30 miles west of New Orleans in St. James Parish, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)
Chelsi Bovie holds her niece's dog that she rescued from her home after a tornado tore through the area in Killona, La., about 30 miles west of New Orleans in St. James Parish, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo)
An evening view of a home that was destroyed by a tornado.
A home that was destroyed after a tornado made its way along the Mississippi River just south of New Orleans in Gretna, La., on Wednesday. (Christina Botic/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
A car sits amid the destruction in the wake of a tornado that tore through Killona, La.
Destruction in the wake of a tornado that tore through Killona, La., about 30 miles west of New Orleans. (Gerald Herbert/AP)
Debris is piled up following severe weather in Keithville, La.
Debris is piled up following severe weather in Keithville, La., on Wednesday (Jake Bleiberg/AP)
A man and a woman with a dog near a house that was damaged by a tornado.
A house is seen damaged on Friscoville Avenue in Arabi, La., in St. Bernard Parish following a tornado on Wednesday. (Matthew Hinton/AP)
A woman is seen sweeping her neighbor’s porch, which was damaged due to a tornado.
Anna Chiasson sweeps her neighbor’s porch, which was damaged due to a tornado in Gretna, La., on Wednesday. (Matthew Hinton/AP)
A rectangular greenhouse is seen resting against a fence at a steep angle.
A greenhouse rests against a fence after a tornado in Grapevine, Texas, on Wednesday. (Jin Xin/Xinhua via ZUMA Press)
Vehicles and debris are strewn about after a tornado that tore through the area.
Vehicles and debris are strewn about after a tornado that tore through the area in Killona, La., about 30 miles west of New Orleans on Wednesday. (Gerald Herbert/AP)
A woman with a towel over her head to try to stay dry walks in the rain after she arrived to help her niece, whose home was destroyed.
Allyson Mitchell walks in the rain after she arrived to help her niece, whose home was destroyed. (Gerald Herbert/AP)