Tornadoes pummel southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama; at least 1 killed
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By Kelli Dugan and Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
A tornado tore through Arabi, Louisiana, and New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward on Tuesday night, while other suspected twisters pummeled portions of Mississippi and Alabama.
Update 7:28 a.m. March 23: At least one person has been killed in the storms. A person was found dead in St. Bernard Parish, on the border of New Orleans. Parish officials did not say who the person was or how they died, The Associated Press reported.
Rescue crews continue to comb through the wreckage looking for anyone who may need help,
Original report: The outbreak, expected to continue moving eastward overnight into Wednesday, came one day after twisters killed one and injured dozens across Texas and Oklahoma.
“We have reports of people [who] are trapped,” St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann told NOLA.com, adding, “We’re in the area doing assessments now.”
Parish President Guy McInnis confirmed to the news outlet that no injuries were immediately reported, despite roofs being torn from houses, trees being toppled and utility poles being knocked to the ground.
McGinnis also told WWL-TV that search-and-rescue teams were going through homes looking for people and responding to at least two calls from people who said they were trapped in their homes in their bathrooms.
“It’s going to be a long night,” he told the TV station.
The tornado appeared to start in a New Orleans suburb and then move east across the Mississippi River into the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans and parts of St. Bernard Parish before moving northeast.
In addition to the powerful tornado that struck New Orleans and Arabi just before 9 p.m. EDT, another cut across St. Tammany Parish from Lacombe to Picayune, Mississippi, NOLA.com reported.
According to The Associated Press, high winds uprooted trees in Ridgeland, Mississippi, as a possible tornado passed the city earlier Tuesday afternoon, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries or serious damage to buildings. Meanwhile, campus police at Mississippi State University in Starkville shared a photo of a large hardwood tree lying across a street.
As the late afternoon storms made their way into Alabama, the roofs of several homes were damaged in Toxey, the National Weather Service confirmed via Twitter.
Emergency management officials in Louisiana told NOLA.com that assessments to determine the intensity of the tornadoes, as well as the length and width of their paths, will take several days to complete.
New Orleans tornadoes A debris lined street is seen in the Lower 9th Ward, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in New Orleans, after strong storms moved through the area. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Cody Scott searches the attic for belongings after a tornado tore the roof off of his father-in-law's home, in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Authorities survey damage in the Lower 9th Ward, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in New Orleans, after strong storms moved through the area. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes A twisted boat lies in front of a heavily damaged home after a tornado in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes A car is flipped over after a tornado swept through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Breign Collins and Darryl Bardell, right, walk past a destroyed church after a tornado struck the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Annelise Cassar holds her nephew Eliam Cruice, 9 months, as mother Arianna Cruice, right, surveys damage around them after a tornado swept through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes A responder walks amid destruction after a tornado in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Kathy Pechon walks past the roof of her destroyed shed after a tornado swept through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Melodie Maher stands in front of a fire truck as her son, Claude Maher, along with firefighters, rescue her dog from her heavily damaged home after a tornado struck the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes People survey damage, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in Arabi, La. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Melodie Maher watches from a fire truck as her son, Claude Maher, along with firefighters, rescues her dog from her heavily damaged home after a tornado struck the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Neighbors stand in the street after a tornado struck in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Residents stand in the street near a destroyed home after a tornado in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Max Landry, center, owner of the Arabi Food store, sits with residents, some of whom are displaced from their damaged homes, after a tornado swept through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes A truck lies on this side in front of a destroyed home after a tornado swept through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Responders work amidst debris after a tornado swept through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes A person takes a photo of damage, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, in Arabi, La. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Residents illuminated by fire truck lights stand amongst debris after a tornado swept through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes A car is flipped over after a tornado tore through the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes A man walks his bicycle through destruction after a tornado in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Residents illuminated by fire truck lights stand amongst debris after a tornado in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Melodie Maher stands in front of a fire truck as her son, Claude Maher, along with firefighters, rescue her dog from her heavily damaged home after a tornado struck the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Claude Maher caries his mother's dog, who he rescued along with firefighters, after a tornado struck the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes People stand on the porch of a damaged home in the aftermath of a tornado in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Christine Wiecek, left, and her husband Robert Patchus, second left, talk to neighbors amongst debris of their damaged homes after a tornado struck the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)
New Orleans tornadoes Destroyed homes, illuminated by fire engine lights, are seen after a tornado struck the area in Arabi, La., Tuesday, March 22, 2022. A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans and its suburbs Tuesday night, ripping down power lines and scattering debris in a part of the city that had been heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)