SLIDELL, La. — A tornado that the National Weather Service categorized as an EF-2 with winds up to 120 mph slammed into the southern part of Slidell causing extensive damage and multiple injuries and knocking out power to 26,000 customers Wednesday.
Parish President Mike Cooper said that power companies are working to restore power and that some customers could come back online by Thursday morning but that it may be a couple of days for the last customer to have power restored.
The National Weather Service said that the damage near Old Spanish Trail was caused by an EF-2 tornado that traveled just over 9 miles and was more than three football fields wide.
An EF-2 tornado has winds between 111 and 135 miles per hour. The National Weather Service estimated the winds at 120 mph.
Despite the damage, it isn’t believed that there were any deaths and it seems that most of the injuries are not serious.
That despite Slidell Police Communications Director Michael Vinsanau saying that there were so many injured, that police transported some of them because “EMS couldn’t keep up.”
A tornado warning was issued for Slidell and Daniel Seuzeneau of the Slidell Police Department is convinced the damage came from a tornado, though the National Weather Service has to confirm it.
“You can’t prepare for a tornado,” said Vinsanau. It comes through and rips people’s lives apart in a matter of seconds.”
An apartment complex in South Slidell near Old Spanish Trail and City Drive was extremely heavily damaged, leaving approximately 50 people without a place to live. A nearby school had its roof completely shorn off, though the school was closed for the day due to the severe weather threat.
A couple of shelters were opened for those needing a roof over their heads: Recreation Center in Lacombe and Creekside Junior High in Pearl River.
VIDEO: Tornado destroys Slidell business
A short distance away, WWL Louisiana crews found a heavily-damaged McDonald’s on Pontchartrain Drive where the signature golden arches had been taken down by the winds and left in the street.
A nearby hair salon was gutted with its walls completely gone save for the wooden studs.
“My stylist called me and said, ‘The salon is completely gone,” said the owner. “The walls came completely down and the windows blew out. All of the cars (in the parking lot) are damaged.”
On Duncan Street off of Old Spanish Trail saw homes with large trees down in half, some on top of power lines.
Despite the damage visible outside, residents said they were still shaken, but relatively unharmed.
“I just felt pressure in my ears and then I heard everything falling over,” said one resident. “There was no warning.”
Slidell PD reports damage
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