A mother died trying to protect her daughter when a tornado hit her home, a Louisiana mayor said, one of at least two twisters tied to a weather system that’s caused major damage in the state and wreaked havoc on Mardi Gras festivities.
Rayne, Louisiana, Mayor James “Jimbo” Petitjean told reporters that the woman, who was not identified, was killed when a tree fell on her house. Her daughter is safe and OK, according to the mayor.
The National Weather Service confirmed that tornadoes hit that city, about 80 miles west of Baton Rouge, and the nearby city of Crowley on Saturday morning.
At least 11 were hurt in Rayne, according to state police Trooper Stephen Hammons.
Several buildings were leveled, lots reduced to rubble and large trees knocked down in the southern Louisiana city of 10,000 residents, according to video from CNN affiliate KATC.
Firefighter Kermitt Leblanc said electricity was shut off in the town at about 10 a.m., with damage concentrated in a street near police headquarters.
First responders evacuated people from homes in the impact zone, an area about one to two square miles, added Whitney Thibodaux, a Rayne police dispatcher.
According to Hammons, about 2,500 residents in the northwest part of the city were being told to evacuate due to a ruptured gas line. Emergency personnel were going door-to-door to make sure everyone had left their homes, the state trooper said. (CNN)
