Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards is traveling to areas impacted by Tuesday’s severe weather following a Unified Command Group meeting with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) Wednesday morning.
Much of the state remains under a weather threat through Wednesday evening.
Initial reports from the National Weather Service (NWS) indicate six possible tornadoes struck Caddo, Union, Rapides, Madison, East Carroll and Franklin Parishes. NWS teams will continue to investigate the tracks as weather permits. The tornado in Caddo Parish resulted in the death of a 30 year old woman and her eight year old son after their home were struck. Several other injuries have been reported across the state.
Click here to read the State of Emergency.
As the initial steps in recovery begin, GOHSEP encourages anyone who received damage from the storms to report their information at damage.la.gov. This self-reporting damage survey will help the state and local officials identify damage impacts in each region. Reporting damage to GOHSEP is extremely important, but voluntary. It does not replace filing a claim with your insurance agency. This is the first step in the recovery process and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance.
The severe weather threat continues across south Louisiana Wednesday afternoon, and is expected to move east through the evening.
"I am heartbroken to learn of the mother and child who were killed in Southwest Caddo Parish due to one of numerous reported tornados," said Gov. Edwards. "My prayers go out to the family as well as those who were injured or lost their homes. I will be traveling to the Shreveport area and Union Parish today to tour the damage and response efforts. Unfortunately, this severe weather event is not yet out of our state as it now moves into Central and South Louisiana. Please stay weather aware and follow the directions of local officials."
“It is important for everyone to understand the threat is not over,” said GOHSEP Director Casey Tingle. “As this system has slowed down, it’s caused several inches of rain to fall from Southwest Louisiana to Central Louisiana. That line, which may include additional wind and tornado threats, may not clear the state until Wednesday evening. We urge everyone to remain weather aware and stay informed. Limit travel if road conditions become dangerous. Look for potential messaging from the National Weather Service, your local media or your local emergency managers.”
Governor Edwards is scheduled to hold a news conference in Caddo Parish at 3 p.m. following a meeting with local leaders and a tour of the impacted areas.
