ST. MARTIN PARISH — More than a year after a tornado tore through Henderson, the damage it left behind is still fresh in the minds of those who lived through it. At Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf, a longtime local staple, what was once a scene of twisted metal and scattered debris is now a reopened restaurant.
Pat’s sustained major damage when the EF-2 tornado struck the area. Luno Bordelon, a longtime customer, remembers the destruction clearly.
“The hotel was devastated — it was twisted like a pretzel. There were trees down all over the place. I mean, we lost about 500 trees,” Bordelon said.
Jennifer Stelly, the restaurant’s manager, was inside when it hit.
“I was here — we were inside when it hit. Luckily, it was between the lunch and dinner rush, so not many people were here. But it was scary,” Stelly said.
Bordelon recalled driving in from Lafayette that day, “ I saw the clouds. I knew something was about to happen. And when I crossed the bridge right here, the tornado had already hit,” he said.
In the immediate aftermath, employees and neighbors stepped up without hesitation to help with cleanup and repairs. Stelly said the support came in many forms.
“It was just different things — I cleaned walls, chairs… whatever needed to be done,” she said.
Now, with hurricane season underway, many in the community are quietly hoping for calmer weather this year. But Bordelon said his experience with storms over the years has shaped his outlook.
“I’ve been through so many hurricanes — from New Orleans to Lafayette to Alabama. I don’t really worry about them,” he said.
Stelly echoed that feeling, acknowledging both the unpredictability of storms and the need to stay grounded.
“You can’t really worry about it, because you just never know. We go years with no bad storms — but it’s always a possibility,” she said.
Bordelon, who spent weeks after the tornado helping neighbors clean up, said his commitment to showing up for his community won’t change—no matter what comes next.
“Hopefully we can tame the people and tame the hurricanes and tornadoes — and have a better world to live in,” he said.
