Governor, Bobby Jindal Declares State of Emergency... Monroe/West Monroe, LA -- A severe storm has blown through Northeast Louisiana, causing widespread damage and power outages. There are many trees down, including large trees on top of houses throughout Monroe. Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency. Most of the damage in Monroe is concentrated in the Garden District, where trees and limbs damaged or destroyed homes and blocked most streets. Monroe Police Assistant Chief Don Bartley said additional patrol officers will be stationed throughout the city in the hardest hit areas, including the Garden District and Louisville Avenue, during the night to thwart looters. As of 2:45 p.m. Louisville Avenue was open, but motorists were advised to travel at their own risk, Bartley said. Bartley also said public works personnel is working to clear North Fifth and North Sixth streets between Louisville and Forsythe to allow traffic to flow, but other streets within the Garden District remain blocked. We have no plans to shut down traffic, but unless you live or have a business in the Garden District, you shouldnt be there, he said. A main gas line ruptured in the 1100 block of Oliver Road and caused several leaks in homes within the Garden District. Monroe Police have not received any reports of serious injuries, Bartley said. A pregnant student at the University of Louisiana at Monroe was taken to an area hospital with an injury after a covered walkway outside Sandal Hall collapsed while she was walking nearby. Monroe Public Works director Tom Janway said at 4 p.m. power is on at the citys water treatment plant. The plant is using emergency backup generators and it is still running on emergency power for water transfer pumps, Janway said. Thought to be tornado Don Wheeler, dean of technology, math and science at Louisiana Delta Community College said he watched the weather radar Monday morning as a tornadic cell hopscotched across Ouachita Parish. It stayed on the radar off and on – disappearing and then coming back again, he said. When it came over Monroe it had a very well defined signature on the radar. Wheeler said that the tornadic activity was difficult to detect within the thunderstorm. It creates a very difficult situation to see the tornado coming, Wheeler said. Although the National Weather Service will be the entity that will officially decide whether the storm that moved across northeastern Louisiana was indeed a tornado or if it was straight line winds, Wheeler said he believes it was. The National Weather Service is expected to assess the damage on Tuesday. Wheeler said if in fact the storm was a tornado, it dispels the long-held belief that a tornado has never hit the metropolitan area of Monroe. He said it also dispels the myth that a tornado will not cross a river. A tornado reportedly touched down near Bawcomville. Ouachita Parish Homeland Security Director Archie Neal Brown said at noon Monday there were no confirmed reports of a tornado touching down in Ouachita Parish. Browns office has received reports of twisted power lines, roads blocked with downed trees and gas lines leaking around Oliver Road. In Monroe from Stubbs Avenue toward Oliver Road is the heaviest amount of damage. If a tornado did touch down it would have been in that area, Brown said. Roger White, who lives in Riverside Apartments, said he is sure a tornado ripped through the corridor between Louisville and Forsythe. It sounded like a 747 taking off, White said. I stepped outside my apartment and it blew me back in onto the floor. We are tore up over here. Water poured into Bob Sale Gift and Camera at the corner of Roselawn and N. Fourth Street after a giant pine fell on his store. Ive never seen anything like it, said Sale, whose store specializes in LSU merchandise. Its going to cost me a lot of money, but thank God everybody is safe. Melanie Dedmons car was crushed by the tree. I had just got off the phone and then, Boom! she said. Roderick Worthy of Entergy said it will likely be Thursday night before all power is restored. He said 34,000 customers are without power in Ouachita, while 2,400 are without power in Jackson Parish and 1,000 in Morehouse Parish. Weve had significant infrastructure damage with the bulk of that in Monroe and West Monroe, he said. Theres stuff down everywhere. While Monroe Public Works crews are busy clearing roadways of downed trees and power lines, Public Works director Tom Janway said his top priority is getting power back on Monroes pump stations. That will depend on Entergy, which says power may not be restored for some for several days. The only report of flooding within Monroe was street flooding, Janway said. The power was out at most of our pump stations so we have been unable to pump water. We dont know how soon we can get power back, Janway said. We are going to have long days this week getting things all cleaned up. City officials have not decided if they will require residents to use water for potable needs only while the pump stations are offline, Janway said. State Police reports several road closures as a result of Monday mornings storm. Roads are closed due to trees or power lines in the roadway. They include Louisiana 546, Louisiana 594 at George Harris Street, Louisiana 159 at Central Avenue, New Natchitoches Road west of Well Road. State Police have worked numerous accidents since the morning hours but none were reported to have serious injuries, according to Trooper Michael Reichardt. State Police also have not received any reports of storm-related injuries. An eyewitness said windows were blown out at McAllisters Deli on Thomas Road in West Monroe and an 18-wheeler seen on its side at Walmart near there. A gas leak was reported at West Monroe High School and all students were evacuated. West Monroe reported heavy damage around Warren Drive off of Cypress Street, Brown said. Browns son, a student at St. Frederick High School, reported a downed telephone pole across the schools football field. ULM announced that all classes beginning at 2 p.m. or later have been canceled. Classes will resume Tuesday at 11 a.m.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 15:00:46 +0000
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