Freight train sound warns of tornado's approach TREVIS R. BADEAUX / The Daily Iberian / March 3, 1999 JEANERETTE - First everything went black. Then there was the sound of a freight train rolling through the area. Then chaos. The story was the same at each home or business minutes after a tornado ripped through downtown Jeanerette Tuesday just before 10 p.m. The National Weather Service in Lake Charles reported early today that tornadoes touched down in the Broussard and Jeanerette areas late Tuesday. The funnel clouds, generated by a line of storms that developed over northeast Texas and moved into the Acadiana area late Tuesday, touched ground for no more than five minutes bearing winds up to 120-140 mph, a NWS spokesperson said. "It came on all at once," said Roy Eskind, owner of Uncle Roy's Lounge on Main Street. Eskind, who was in his bar with about five customers and one bartender, said all the lights went out along Main Street at once. "We heard a loud noise and all hit the floor just before the glass on the front of the bar busted out across Main Street," Eskind said as he carefully shifted though shards of glass still lining the concrete floor of his establishment. "Never seen anything like it before." Johnny Williams, 302 S. Cypress Lane, said he heard a "rumbling" just before 10 p.m. as he stepped from the shower. Williams said his brother, Kenneth, was asleep in another room in the trailer the two occupied at the end of the narrow street. "Next, I heard debris hitting the trailer," Williams said. "When I looked outside, I didn't see anything." Fearing the worse, Williams said he took shelter in the bathroom of the home moments before the trailer was lifted into the air and began rolling. "The trailer we were in was thrown over another trailer next door and demolished," Williams said. "All that is left is the frame and debris everywhere." Kenneth was ejected from the trailer and struck a pecan tree while still in his bed, Williams said. Kenneth was subsequently taken to Iberia Medical Center for treatment of cuts and bruises and released early today, said Williams, who was uninjured in the incident. Audrey Landry, 418 Minville Blvd., said she was watching a movie on television just before 10 p.m. when the power went out in her home. "I heard something like a freight train coming, so I ducked," Landry said. "Then the windows in the living room just blew out." After the "howling wind and other commotion" ceased, Landry said she walked outside to see power lines and large tree branches lying across her front yard. Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert warned citizens on the streets late Tuesday to return home until officials could repair downed power lines throughout the city. "We've been lucky so far," Hebert said just before midnight. "We really don't want an injury or fatality after the fact from someone not taking the right precautions." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- City of Jeanerette begins cleanup after devastating tornado TREVIS R. BADEAUX / The Daily Iberian / March 4, 1999 JEANERETTE - With chain saws buzzing and the skyline filled with cherry-pickers containing utility crews, the City of Jeanerette and area officials Wednesday began the long clean-up process in the aftermath of the tornado that hit the city late Tuesday. Mayor James "TK" Alexander Sr. early today said he will meet with a representative of Gov. Mike Foster's office and with American Red Cross officials to compile information before seeking Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) financial support. "We have the debris off the streets and no fatalities were reported. Jeanerette was lucky," the mayor said. Alexander estimated the area sustained nearly $2 million in damages, and Becky Rogers, Red Cross Iberia Parish Chapter executive director, agreed, saying the mayor was "not far off" in his assessment. "Quite a few homes and businesses have been either demolished or heavily damaged," Rogers said. A preliminary assessment has listed nearly 140 homes that were damaged by the tornado. A temporary shelter established by ARC volunteers at 6 p.m. in the Ward 8 Recreation Center was closed around 9 p.m. Wednesday because individuals inside the shelter found additional support from family members or friends, Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert said. "The people of the Jeanerette area have cooperated 100 percent," Hebert said. "As utility company vehicles begin to clear the area today, the clean-up effort will really kick into full gear." The National Weather Service in Lake Charles confirmed early Wednesday that tornadoes touched down in the Broussard and Jeanerette areas late Tuesday. Spawned by a cold front that developed from a line of storms over northeast Texas and moved into Louisiana, the tornadoes contained winds of 120-140 mph and touched ground for less than five minutes, leaving a path of destruction for nearly two miles, an NWS spokesperson said. Public Works Department crews from Iberia Parish, Jeanerette and New Iberia were on hand Wednesday to aid the community in clearing the debris. CLECO officials said late Wednesday that power was restored to nearly 3,000 Jeanerette homes that lost electric service minutes before the tornado touched down. Hebert confirmed early today only two injuries were reported in the storm, including an unidentified woman who received moderate injuries in a traffic accident at Pellerin and Admiral Doyle Drive just after 11 p.m. Tuesday and one other unidentified individual who received minor injuries in an unrelated incident earlier in the evening. The Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office established a command post early Wednesday at Robie's Food Center on Main Street, where American Red Cross Iberia Parish Chapter volunteers located its Emergency Response Vehicle to assist victims of the torrential winds. However, IPSO officials closed the command post late Wednesday and ARC volunteers relocated to the Ward 8 Recreation Center before it too closed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Time is right for severe weather By CHRISCIA JACKSON The Enterprise BEAUMONT -- The four tornadoes that ripped through Jasper and Newton Counties Tuesday night has left many people wondering why this phenomenon appears to becoming more common in southeast Texas. However according to meteorologists it is not unusual for tornadoes to strike this time of year. "February through March is the time for severe weather," said Joe Rua a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, La. "During these months the air mass is perfect for tornadoes. Cold winter air is mixing with the warmer air from the Gulf Coast creating tornadoes." The weather system that caused the tornadoes Tuesday night originated in northeast Texas, gained strength as it moved into southeast Texas and caused the tornadoes to form in Jasper and Newton counties. While the phenomenon is not usual the number of tornadoes has increased since last year. "Last year there were only about 10 tornadoes that hit," said Meteorologist Roger Erickson, who surveys tornado ravaged areas. "There have been 30 so far this year." Although Erickson cannot explain the reason for the increase, one person who has witnessed the damage in southeast Texas has a theory. "Maybe God is trying to tell people that they need to straighten up," said Newton County Deputy Sheriff Joe Walker. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Holly Springs hit hardest by East Texas twisters By CATHY FRYE The Enterprise HOLLY SPRINGS -- Emma Lawless, 84, had just finished watching "Wheel of Fortune." She was rummaging in the kitchen for something to eat when the lights abuptly went out. A loud roar followed, and, recalling the tornado warnings that had just flashed across her TV screen, the elderly, wheelchair-bound woman raced for a narrow hallway. There, amid the flying debris, Lawless watched as a powerful tornado -- one of the worst to hit this area in 50 years -- peeled off the roof of her small brick home. By the time the twister moved on, Lawless' wheelchair was wedged into a small triangular space formed by a hallway wall that now leaned against an upright bedroom wall. "She said she was trapped there," said Connie Cropper, who is Lawless' niece. She pointed in amazement at what was left of her aunt's home. "They had to crawl through the bedroom window to get her out." Cropper spent the night with her aunt, who was one of four people taken to the hospital after a tornado reaching speeds of 150-170 mph plowed through this small community around 7 p.m. Tuesday. At least six homes were seriously damaged or destroyed, said Billy Ted Smith, the emergency coordinator for Jasper County. Twenty-five sustained at least minor damage, he added. Of the Holly Springs residents who were taken to Christus Jasper Memorial Hospital, no one suffered life-threatening injuries. Most of the lacerations and bruises were caused by flying debris, Smith said. Three residents of neighboring Newton County also were taken to the hospital Tuesday night after a second tornado touched down along Baptist Encampent Road. None of the injuries were serious, said Chief Deputy Ricky Hillin. Two homes were destroyed and several were damaged, he added. The tornados in both counties were the result of a cold front, which spawned at least seven twisters in East Texas in just a few short hours. Holly Springs caught the brunt of the fury, however. On Wednesday, Jasper County work crews began clearing the fallen trees and debris scattered across a 2-mile radius. At the center of the activity was the Holly Springs Baptist Church, where a Red Cross shelter had been set up. The twister, which residents say arrived with little warning, apparently zig-zagged down Highway 190, tearing apart some houses while dealing only a glancing blow to others. About 300 people live in this small community, seven miles east of Jasper. Many, stunned by their losses, turned to the old church not only for shelter, but for comfort. The Holly Springs Baptist congregation has been around since 1886, said the Rev. Greg Teel, and the same is true of many families here. The Hood family was upset not only by the damage done to their home, which was speared by a neighbor's pine tree, but by the loss of several cherished pecan trees that had been planted by Patrick Hood's grandfather. Patrick was at home alone with his two children when the twister hit. He had only a few minutes to grab 8-year-old Sterling and 4-year-old Lauren and head for the hallway, said Patrick's wife, Rebel Hood. Rebel was in Lufkin with a grandfather who had just had surgery. As soon as he reached the hallway, Patrick threw himself on top of the children, fearing at one point that he would be yanked away by the suction of the swirling winds. "He said it was just pulling at him and pulling at him," Rebel said. "And it just terrified me when he told me that." Patrick and the children weren't injured and spent a good part of Wednesday hunting for a pet rabbit named "Bugs." The family's horse and two dogs were out in the pasture when the twister hit but, miraculously, were unharmed, Rebel said, pointing at two indignant, barking pets. A half-hour later, she and family members triumphantly announced that Bugs, too, had been found unhurt and was taking up temporary residence in the bathtub. Most people here were without water, electricity or gas Wednesday, although workers were hoping most services would be restored sometime today. For some, it will not matter, however. She and her husband had taken their two children along for a quick run to the store Tuesday evening when the tornado tore across Holly Springs. On their way home, the couple stopped at a gas station, where a constable told them a twister had just destroyed several homes near the Holly Springs Baptist Church. Fearing the worst, Jimmy and Bianca drove home. There, they found their mobile home had been ripped from its foundation, flung into a cluster of trees and completely shredded. "We ran to town, came back and there it was," said Jimmy, who was searching through a tangle of Christmas decorations and a pile of tax forms for what might be salvageable. "It was amazing." Bianca, who is from Germany, was stunned by the devastation. "There aren't tornadoes there. Or hurricanes," she said, still marveling at how quickly everything could be lost. She hasn't yet been able to explain what happened to her 4-year-old daughter, Rachel. As her parents pulled into the driveway and then stared uncomprehendingly at the spot where their trailer once stood, the normally talkative Rachel sat in silence for a moment. Then, having reached her own conclusions, she tugged at her mother's hand. "Well, the house is gone," she announced. "God moved it." Medelle Adams, 73, who has lived in Holly Springs for 50 years, was still disbelieving Wednesday morning, as she watched repairs being made to the small home she shares with her husband, Jim. "We were sitting in the living room when the lights went off and the windows blew out. We got in the hall and closed all the doors. It didn't last but a few minutes," Medelle said. "That's all the warning we had, that and this terrible roar. I've never even witnessed anything like this." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Storm destroys 20 homes By Ron Delhomme - Martin Bureau Editor JEANERETTE - Greg Parker stood in the middle of Martin Luther King Drive Wednesday looking at his mobile home. The windows were gone, the trailer was tilted off its blocks, and sheets of tin from his roof were wrapped around limbs in pecan trees behind his home. "It was like a bomb, a big explosion when it hit", Parker said of the storm system that moved through Acadiana late Tuesday, destroying about 20 homes in downtown Jeanerette and across the Bayou Teche. "It lit up the whole trailer, glass started flying, then the trailer started to shake - and I hit the floor." "In 10 seconds, it was over." Residents like Parker who experienced the brunt of the storm say they think it was a tornado that did much of the damage, though officials could not confirm that. Two Jeanerette residents suffered moderate head injuries during the storm, which knocked out power to about two-thirds of the city's 6,500 residents, cutting off the city's water supply and resulting in the cancellation of school. "It was a miracle only two people were injured," said Becky Rogers, director of the Iberia Red Cross, on the scene Wednesday with about 30 volunteers. In addition to the demolished homes, the storm caused major damage to about 35 homes and minor damage to about 50 others, according to Rogers. Red Cross volunteers formed three PDAs, their term for Preliminary Damage Assessment teams, to canvass about 30 square city blocks to look for damage and people who needed help. Damage assessment to businesses in Jeanerette will begin after the residential toll is taken, Rogers said. About a dozen crews from CLECO worked much of the day Wednesday to restore electricity. Crews from Entex were taking care of gas leaks. Fire departments and law enforcement agencies were out in force. Around the workers were downed oak, cedar, magnolia and pine trees tangled in wiring from utility poles. Jeanerette Police Chief Mannie Mendoza said traffic was becoming a problem in town. The Red Cross and Iberia Parish Sheriff's Office set up food wagons, command posts and other emergency vehicles in the parking lot of a supermarket on Main Street, across from City Hall, about 15 blocks from the major damage. "Sightseers just riding by are causing a problem," Mendoza said. "We're asking that everybody stay home and let the people work." More than 200 people had been served breakfast and lunch from a Red Cross truck by early afternoon. Volunteers from Iberia and Lafayette parishes handed out sandwiches, coffee, water and quot;comfort foodquot; like cookies and snacks. Other volunteers were talking to victims who had no place to sleep Wednesday night. Many were reluctant to leave their damaged homes. "My home was hit bad,", one man said, "but I think we can sleep in it tonight." Sidney Vilo Jr. lost shingles shudders and trees in his backyard. "It rained for 5 minutes then it started to hail and then there was a big clap and the power went off and then it hit." Vilo said the worst of the storm lasted no more than a minute. Emergency shelters will be announced Thursday, according to the Red Cross. The King Joseph Recreation Center and the Ward 8 Recreation Center are possible shelters, according to Jeanerette Mayor James "T.K." Alexander Sr. Tornadic winds also destroyed at least one home in Krotz Springs in east St. Landry Parish. In north Louisiana, high wind ripped the roof off the Ouachita Parish High School gymnasium Tuesday night, canceling a playoff game between the Slidell and Ouachita boys' basketball teams. Two people were injured but not severely. Scattered power outages around the state affected thousands of people. Repairs were under way soon after the fast-moving storms were gone and most had power back by morning. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Storm damages Krotz Springs area By PHILLIP de VALCOURT Staff Writer The storms that blew through St. Landry Parish Tuesday night seemed to hit Krotz Springs with a vengeance. Ronald Guidry, a firefighter-operator with the Krotz Springs Fire Department said one house had been blown off its supporting blocks and its roof had been torn off. Guidry also said two trailer houses were knocked off their blocks. A metal-framed cabinet shop was, as Guidry put it, "completely demolished." Guidry also said that several structures in the area six miles south of Krotz Springs suffered roof damage. "Our main goal was to make sure the occupants were safe. It's really amazing - considering the damage - that no one was injured," Guidry said. Tim Erickson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said he had confirmed reports of high winds in the Krotz Springs area but could not give any further details Wednesday morning because a crew had just been dispatched from Lake Charles to determine wind speed and possible tornadic activity.