Tornadoes Destroy Homes, Injure Dozens in New Orleans

Louisiana declares state of emergency
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 8, 2017 12:11 AM CST
Louisiana Declares State of Emergency After Tornadoes Injure 40
People walk amongst debris from destroyed homes after a tornado tore through the eastern neighborhood in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017.   (Gerald Herbert)

Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on Tuesday after a severe storm moved across the state's southeast corner, injuring about 40 people. Edwards said he was heartbroken to see Louisiana families suffering again, the AP reports. He said seven parishes were hit by tornadoes and much of the worst damage was in eastern New Orleans, part of the 9th Ward that was so heavily flooded by Hurricane Katrina. He promised that the state will provide affected residents with the resources they need as quickly as possible. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said late Tuesday that 31 injuries had been reported in the city, six of them severe, with around 250 properties badly damaged over the path of a tornado, the Times-Picayune reports.

The wall of severe weather also delivered heavy rain and hail to Mississippi and Alabama. An official at NASA's Michoud facility in New Orleans said it suffered some structural damage but the deep-space equipment being built there, including hardware and tooling used in the Orion and Space Launch System projects, does not appear to have been harmed. Michoud will have to make a "significant effort" to cover everything up so any subsequent bad weather doesn't affect it while the building's roof and walls are repaired. Two Mississippi counties reported wind damage, but no injuries, from suspected tornadoes. Other areas of Mississippi saw heavy rain and hail from the storm system that spawned multiple tornadoes in Louisiana. (More Louisiana stories.)

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