Several Tornadoes Batter Louisiana

Southern Louisiana was struck hard by several tornadoes in multiple storm fronts Tuesday.

A number of injuries were reported as videos began to surface of the damage wrought by severe weather in and around New Orleans. The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard and upper Plaquemines parishes, among others. It confirmed that at least three tornadoes had already touched down; one near the town of Donaldsonville, one in the town of Killian and one in New Orleans East.

The Times-Picayune captured some of the damage in New Orleans East on video:

More than 14,000 customers were without power across the state, according to AccuWeather. There were reports of dime-sized hail in St. Charles Parish, 50 mph wind gusts near Lakefront Airport and structural damage across Southern Louisiana. NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility reportedly took a direct hit and was damaged after a large tornado touched down in New Orleans East.

Residents in the path of the storm were told to take shelter. Fire crews were seen going door-to-door in the city, while energy officials were checking on gas leaks, according to Fox 8.

The storms began late Tuesday morning, after a tornado was reported south of Killian, according to The Weather Channel. The front moved east, and the NWS declared tornado watches across the southern part of the state. A separate storm opened up in New Orleans East, along with another tornado.

Several homes in the area were destroyed. It wasn’t clear how many tornadoes had been confirmed, but NWS New Orleans said up to five had been reported.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said at a 1 p.m. press conference that dozens were injured but there were no reported fatalities.

Southeastern Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi fell victim to a storm system that brought five tornadoes in late January, ultimately killing 18 people, according to The Times-Picayune.