A strong line of storms that left a path of destruction across the South spawned a tornado Wednesday that hit a small town east of New Orleans that also was devastated by a twister nine months ago.
Fortunately for the residents of Arabi, only minor damage occurred, according to NOLA.com. In March, an EF-3 tornado hit Arabi, killing one and causing widespread damage.
St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis told NOLA.com numerous roofs were damaged or blown away. He said emergency responders had rescued about 10 people.
The situation was more dire west of New Orleans on Wednesday. A woman died and seven others were injured after a tornado touched down in Killona, which sits along the Mississippi River.
"She was outside the residence, so we don't know exactly what happened," St. Charles Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne said of the woman, according to The Associated Press. “There was debris everywhere. She could have been struck. We don't know for sure. But this was a horrific and a very violent tornado."
Killona resident Mary Kenny told WWL-TV the new roof of her home was ripped away.
"We were sitting in the trailer, and our cellphones went off and I said, 'We've got to get out of here. There's a tornado,'" Kenny said. "... As soon as we got into the house, we got into the bathroom, in the tub. Our ears started popping and everything was gone. Everything was falling on us.
"We just held onto each other and prayed. We just prayed."
Also, about 280 miles north, KSLA-TV reported a mother and her child were killed and another person injured after a tornado struck Tuesday night in Caddo Parish near Shreveport. On Wednesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency following Tuesday's storm.
"I am heartbroken to learn of the mother and child who were killed in southwest Caddo Parish due to one of numerous reported tornados," Edwards said in a statement. "My prayers go out to the family, as well as those who were injured or lost their homes. I will be traveling to the Shreveport area and Union Parish [on Wednesday] to tour the damage and response efforts."