PALMETTO, LA – One person is dead and seven people have been taken to a local hospital because of severe weather that swept Acadiana Saturday morning.
St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard says a tornado hit Palmetto near Highway 359 and Bolden Rd. this morning just after two o’clock.
Bellard confirmed that one person died and seven were transported to a local hospital. Five victims have been released from hospital, while the other two have been transported to hospitals in Lafayette and Alexandria, Bellard said.
According to the National Weather Service, a single wide house tied up multiple times was rolled over 320 feet. A man died in this house. The deceased victim has been identified as 28-year-old Jose Antonio Higareda, relatives confirm and Bellard, who died while being transported to hospital.
Jose Higareda / Family photo submitted
Two of the victims were seriously injured when a double-wide mobile home next door rolled over 100 meters long. A third house on stilts, containing five people, slid about 50 meters. Those five individuals got cuts and bruises, the NWS says.
A resident tells KATC that her brother and sister-in-law are two of seven people who had to be taken to hospital.
Gladys Johnson says the tornado that swept through the area sounded like an explosion.
“Boom … boom … boom … everything just sounded like a bomb,” she said. “The house was shaking, and we all ran into the bathroom and we hugged each other and said a prayer. By the time we finished praying, it was over.”
After the tornado passed through the street, she went to see her brother who lives down the street, but he and his house were both gone.
“I started calling out his name, and I heard someone moan and I said, ‘Lionel can you hear me? If you hear me, just keep answering because I’m going to find you, “she added.” And we went up there to that area by the light pole, and there we found Lionel and Kathy Johnson in the ditch. “
Parish chairman Jessie Bellard and spokesman Van Reed spoke with the media shortly before noon to provide an update on the damage.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by this storm,” Bellard said. “We do everything we can to help those families.”
Bellard reported that SLEMCO, St. Landry Public Works, Animal Control, and the Sheriff’s Department were already on site clearing debris and restoring power to the area. The Red Cross was on its way to help families.
The Lake Charles National Weather Service conducted an on-site assessment in Palmetto to analyze radar damage and determine the size of the potential tornado. According to preliminary information from the NWS, the tornado is categorized as an EF3, with peak winds of up to 140 mph. The tornado left a 200-foot path and traveled 14 miles.
Roger Erickson of NWS says they can categorize a tornado based on the damage it causes.
Picked up houses thrown hundreds of feet into the fields. And these were houses tied up, ”he said. “These are the things that make these very fast winds do.”
Drone footage courtesy of Layne Herpin / St. Landry Parish Government shows damage to Bolden Rd. Surface.
At the time of writing this article, 15 houses, 5 vehicles and a number of agricultural trailers were destroyed. 10 houses were damaged in the Bolton Rd. area and five were damaged in the area of Hwy 360. Numerous trees and power lines were broken down and some barns and outbuildings were destroyed.