Deadly Tornado Barrels Through New Orleans Metro Area — 1 Dead, Multiple Injuries

Nick GilbertsonMarch 23, 2022

At least one person was killed when a tornado wreaked havoc on the greater New Orleans metro area Tuesday, causing substantial damage just east of the city in Arabi.

WATCH: Video shows large tornado ravaging through New Orleans, destroying homes and causing injuries pic.twitter.com/MeblX9UJwS

— BNO News (@BNONews) March 23, 2022

The twister “touched down this evening in the Lower Ninth Ward and New Orleans East communities” just before 8:00 p.m., New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) said in a tweet Tuesday. It walloped Arabi in Saint Bernard Parish, which neighbors New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward, NOLA reported.

More video of New Orleans area tornado. This was taken from Chalmette as tornado moved through Arabi. Now have one confirmed death in Ararbi.

📸: Brenda Light pic.twitter.com/x6HQLhAi7Y

— Payton Malone WWL-TV (@paytonmalonewx) March 23, 2022

The national weather service said the tornado caused “at least EF3 damage,” meaning it was “severe” and brought strong winds between 136-165 MPH.

NOHSEP Director Collin Arnold and St Bernard Parish Director of Homeland Security John Rahaim are out this morning with the National Weather Service, assessing the damage from last night’s tornado. pic.twitter.com/lX88TFk2wz

— NOLA Ready (@nolaready) March 23, 2022

Saint Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis said at least one person was killed in Arabi, but he did not delve into further details, according to NOLA. McInnis also said the natural disaster left some individuals trapped in their homes’ bathrooms.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann said multiple people sustained injuries during the storm, with some of the injured being taken to area hospitals, NOLA reported.

The Associated Press reported:

Louisiana activated 300 National Guard personnel to clear roads and provide security and engineering support. They joined firefighters and others searching multiple structures to make sure no one had been left behind, said John Rahaim Jr., the parish’s homeland security director.

Michelle Malasovich of Arabi told the AP that her husband spotted the tornado coming from their front porch. She noted her lights suddenly began to flicker as she was texting relatives.

“It just kept getting louder and louder,” Malasovich said. She added that columns were missing from their porch and the windows to her Jeep were shattered when they assessed damage after the storm passed. She pointed out that her neighbors’ home ended up “in the middle of the street.”

Malasovich’s neighbors — a couple and their daughter, who is on a ventilator — were inside of their home when the tornado picked it up and dropped it in the street, neighbors, and officials told the AP.

McInnis told the outlet:

We had one rescue — a home that was actually picked up and came down in the middle of the street. A young girl was on a ventilator, her father was looking for firefighters to come help, come help. And they were already in there taking care of the young lady and she’s doing fine.

Arabi, LA | We spoke to a local resident last night, Dawn, who was in shock as this tornado tore through her neighborhood, she said she’s just grateful to be alive. These daylight images are humbling. Thinking about everyone impacted by these tornadoes. pic.twitter.com/qQHfdROZRg

— Alana Cameron (@alanacameronwx) March 23, 2022

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service said preliminary information indicated an EF1 tornado also touched down in Lacombe, north of New Orleans, across Lake Pontchartrain. EF1 tornadoes bring winds between 86-110 MPH and are described as moderate, per the National Weather Service.

The tornadoes were the product of a storm that had previously tracked through Texas and caused a series of tornadoes along Interstate 35 on Monday, prompting Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to declare a disaster in 16 of his state’s counties, the AP noted. Accuweather said the weather killed at least one person in Texas while injuring two dozen more.

Breitbart News reported on one shocking video showing a tornado spinning a pickup in circles in Elgin, Texas.

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“The storms didn’t let up Tuesday as they moved deeper into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,” Accuweather reported. “At one point, nearly 100,000 customers across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas were without power on Tuesday, according to PowerOutage.US.”