UPDATED ARTICLE
Washington Parish officials are evaluating damage that occurred in the parish last night (Wednesday night) as a result of multiple apparent tornadoes that touched down.
Damage was reported in the Franklinton and Mount Hermon areas, as well as elsewhere in the parish. But it was more than just tornado and wind damage ---- Pine High School suffered damage from a lightning strike and classes were cancelled for Thursday.
In Franklinton, an apparent tornado touched down late Wednesday night in an area alongside South Main Street (Hwy 16).
For many residents, while the tornado warnings were unnerving, the largest problem was extended power outages. Some homes south of Franklinton had power outages that lasted for hours. Both Cleco and WST reported many areas were without power. WST noted that 22 of its power poles were broken, not to mention downed trees and fallen power lines. At one point following the storm, there were approximately 6,000 outages in the parish. Outages were down to approximately 3,000 by mid-day Thursday as linemen continued their efforts.
While linemen are doing their best, WST asked for residents to be patient --- power will be restored as soon as possible.
The tornado that touched down along Main Street/Hwy 16 caused major tree falls and other damage at the home of Robert and Beverly Jones at the intersection of Highway 16 and Highway 1072 (Springhill Hwy).
Trees were knocked over and onto the roof of the Jones' house. Part of the roof of a metal barn was ripped off. Volunteers were already working to help out at the Jones house early Thursday morning.
There was plenty of other damage in the area. Margie's Florist on Main Street near Riverside Medical Center had major roof damage, and metal storage buildings were flipped over in several neighborhoods. CARE Physical Therapy on Meadie Knioght Road just east of Main Street had a window blown out. Folks who put their trash out for Thursday morning collection had the unpleasant chore of cleaning up messes Thursday morning.
Parish President Ryan Seal said he is grateful for the parish Public Work crews, first responders, and utility crews who work to restore power, clear roads and ensure public safety during these severe weather events and the Parish Homeland Security Office for disseminating important information and providing assistance to our citizens when needed.
Washington Parish Public Work crews reported trees down across the parish and worked tirelessly through the night to make clear passages. They returned at daylight at various locations with larger equipment to further assess and continue their efforts.
Tornado warnings were sounded late Wednesday evening for the entire Northshore area. Once actual tornadoes were spotted, earlier tornado watches were upgraded to warnings. The warnings continued until the all-clear was sounded at approximately 11 p.m.
Bobbi Jo Breland, Parish Director of Homeland Security, said the National Weather Service will be surveying the damage in this area to determine the severity and exact classification of the tornado or tornadoes.
Ms Breland reminds all residents that citizens who are not on any social media platform and would like to be informed can sign up to receive automated emergency alerts by signing up for Hyper-Reach. Residents and others who work in the community can enroll by calling or texting "Alert" to (985) 282-2620.
She noted that residents can also get community and emergency alerts through Alexa-enabled devices just by saying "Alexa, enable Hyper-Reach" and following the Alexa-provided instructions.
"And you can also get alerts on your web browser by clicking "Accept" when you see the request for push notifications," she said.
She added, "There's also the Hyper-Reach Anywhere app you can download to your smartphone. Hyper-Reach Anywhere is free and lets you manage and monitor the alerts you receive for home, office and other addresses you care about - such as elderly relatives or friends. Just go to your Apple or Google app store and search for "Hyper-Reach Anywhere."
Editor's note: As the damage reports are completed by parish officials, this article will be updated.
