PANAMA CITY, Florida (AP) – A cluster of heavy storms swept through the south early Saturday and left one person dead in Louisiana, knocking down trees and power lines in Mississippi, hailing a coastal city of Alabama and leveled buildings in the Florida Panhandle.
The president of the parish of St. Landry, Jessie Bellard, confirmed the death of a man in an early morning tornado in Palmetto, Louisiana. Bellard told KLFY-TV that 27-year-old José Antonio Higareda died when the tornado broke into the man’s home.
He said seven injured were taken to hospitals and at least eight houses were destroyed or badly damaged, including one that rose from the foundations and fell almost intact next to a road. Five of the homes were mobile homes.
“It’s just a devastation probably a mile away … There’s nothing left of the houses,” he told the Acadiana Advocate. He didn’t delve into the extent of injuries, but brought heavy equipment to help remove debris on Saturday as storm victims tried to save anything important.
In Mississippi, a possible tornado knocked down power lines and trees in Rankin County, but no injuries were reported.
In Panama City Beach, Florida, a home and convenience store were razed by a possible tornado, city officials said in a Facebook post. Photo of a resident published by The Panama City News Herald shows the torn ceiling and walls of the store, but their counters, shelves, and merchandise they had look intact. No injuries were reported immediately.
The city is located in Bay County, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018.
“A lot of people would say,‘ Hey, we already know what to do. Unfortunately, we’ve been through it before and they came together as a community, “Panama City Mayor Mark Sheldon told the News Herald. “We saw neighbors come out and help other neighbors, and that’s what Panama City Beach does.”
In Pensacola, Florida, the roof of a downtown brewery was torn apart by the storm, local news reports. The National Weather Service has not confirmed whether this was caused by a tornado, but reported winds of up to 60 mph (95 kpm). The Pensacola News Journal reports that it fell about 13 inches of rain.
“We’re still learning what exactly the damage is and what’s going on,” Emerald Republic Brewing co-owner Veronique Zayas told the newspaper. “But we know that the roof is a total loss. There is water damage everywhere and a lot of equipment has been damaged. ”
He said it was lucky no one was hurt.
“Brewers are usually here at 5 or 6 in the morning to start brewing them,” he said. “Luckily, no one was here.”
Images shared by the media showed hail-shattered car windshields as large as baseballs in Orange Beach, Alabama.
The storms also caused heavy rains and strong winds in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Bellard said search and rescue teams are out of Louisiana in the wake of the storm.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families affected by this storm,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can for these families.”
Bellard reported that SLEMCO, St. Louis Public Works. Landry, Animal Control and the Sheriff’s Department were on site and working on cleaning debris and restoring energy in the area.
The National Weather Service has said the tornado that affected the area was classified as an EF3 tornado, with a wind speed of between 130 and 140 mph (between 209 and 225 km / h).
Some floods were reported. Thousands of customers in the region lost energy, according to the utility monitoring website poweroutage.us.