Governor John Bel Edwards declared a State of Emergency today due to an outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes across different areas of the state earlier this week.
A line of storms associated with a cold front moved across the state Tuesday bringing heavy rainfall, high winds and tornadic activity, with at least one confirmed EF-1 tornado, said a statement made on Tuesday. Many parishes have reported downed power lines, debris and damage to numerous structures. Beauregard, Rapides, Vernon and Webster Parishes have reported significant damage. One fatality related to the storms has also been reported in Vernon Parish. The National Weather Service offices that cover Louisiana continue to perform surveys to determine the exact number of tornadoes.
The Emergency Declaration allows the state of Louisiana to provide additional assistance to the impacted areas.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the victim's family who died during this severe weather outbreak." Gov. Edwards said. "After surveying several of the areas impacted by the storms from the air and on the ground, we are fortunate there are not more injuries. Today, I declared a state of emergency in Louisiana. We expect several parishes to declare an emergency as they transition from the response mode to the recovery mode. This step will allow us to provide assistance where needed and start the overall recovery process at the state level.
