A group of severe storms swept through the southern states early Saturday, killing at least one person in Louisiana, knocking down trees and power lines in Mississippi, dropping huge hail on a city in Alabama and leveling buildings in the Florida Panhandle.
The president of St. Landry Parish’s Jessie Bellard has confirmed a fatality related to a tornado in early Palmetto, Louisiana. Bellard tells KLFY-TV that Jose Antonio Higareda (27) died when the tornado hit his house. In addition, seven people with injuries were transported to local hospitals, he said.
In Mississippi, a possible tornado tore down power lines and trees in Rankin County, but no injuries were reported.
Trucks drive through the high tide at Graffiti Bridge in Pensacola on Saturday, April 10, 2021 after a powerful storm pulled through the area.
(Reuters)
GETS BASEBALL BIG THREATS ALABAMA, TORNADO REPORTED IN MISSISSIPPI AS SERIOUS STORMS SOUTH
In Panama City Beach, Florida, a possible tornado has leveled a home and convenience store, city officials said in a Facebook post. A resident’s photo posted by The Panama City News Herald shows how the roof and walls of the store were ripped off, but the counters, shelves and merchandise they had looked untouched. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The city is in Bay County, which was badly damaged in 2018 by Hurricane Michael.
“A lot of people said, ‘Hey, we know what to do. Unfortunately, we’ve been through this before,’ and they came together as a community,” Panama Mayor Mark Sheldon told the News Herald. “We’ve seen neighbors come out and help other neighbors, and that’s what Panama City Beach is about.”
In local news reports, it appears from Pensacola, Florida, that the roof of a downtown brewery has been ripped off. The National Weather Service did not confirm whether it was caused by a tornado, but reported winds of up to 95 km / h. The Pensacola News Journal reports that about 13 inches of rain fell.
POSSIBLE TORNADO MOVES TO FLORIDA CAPITAL
“We are still learning what exactly the damage is and what is going on,” Veronique Zayas, co-owner of Emerald Republic Brewing, told the newspaper. ‘But we know the roof is a total loss. There is constant water damage and a lot of equipment is damaged. ‘
A powerful storm tore off the roof of Emerald Coast Brewing in West Government Street in Pensacola early on Saturday, April 10, 2021. A portion of the roof ends up at the business next door. Emerald Republic Brewing Roof Dammage 5
(Reuters)
A car was driven around a fallen tree in Patton Drive in Pensacola on April 10, 2021, after a powerful storm swept through the area.
(Reuters)
She said it was fortunate no one was hurt.
“The brewers are usually here at 5 or 6 in the morning to start brewing,” she said. “Luckily no one was here.”
Images shared by news outlets showed the windshield of cars shattered by hail, as big as baseball in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Storms also brought heavy rains and strong winds to parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
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Bellard said search and rescue teams are out of the storm in Louisiana.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by this storm,” he said. “We do everything we can for those families.”
Bellard reported that SLEMCO, St. Landry Public Works, Animal Control and the Sheriff’s Department were at the scene and were clearing debris and restoring power to the area.
The National Weather Service said the tornado that hit the area was classified as an EF3 tornado, with wind speeds between 130 and 140 km / h (between 209 and 225 km / h).
Floods have been reported. Thousands of customers in the region have lost their power, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us.