At least three people have died after tornadoes ripped through Louisiana, leaving more than two dozen injured and hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed.
Deadly 125 mph storms swept through Louisiana Wednesday afternoon, killing 30-year-old Yoshiko Smith and her 8-year-old son, Nikolus Little, at their Keithville home.
In the town of Killona, just west of New Orleans, authorities confirmed the death of Allison Alexander, 56, who was found in the rubble of her destroyed home. WDSU reports.
St. Charles Parish County Sheriff Greg Champagne said that along with Alexander’s death, eight other people in the county were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
There have been three reports of tornadoes so far Thursday morning in the New Orleans metropolitan area after authorities estimated that at least 21 tornadoes have struck the state in the past 24 hours.
Allison Alexander (right), 56, was found in the rubble of her destroyed home in Killona. The bodies of Yoshiko Smith, 30, and her son Nikolus Little, 8, (right) were found in Keithville Tuesday after a tornado ripped through the area.
A series of tornadoes have destroyed homes and businesses in Louisiana in the past 24 hours.
Pictured: Gretna resident Anna Chiasson sweeps the porch of her dilapidated neighborhood
At least 21 tornadoes have hit the state in the past 24 hours. Pictured: A destroyed Winn-Dixie storm in Gretna
At least 45,000 state residents have been without power after 125 mph winds knocked out power lines.
ABC’s Michael Boyd said hundreds of homes were destroyed after the series of tornadoes swept through the state.
St. Charles Parish County officials said the deadly tornado that hit their area touched down around 2:21 p.m. near the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona.
Champagne told reporters the storm was as strong as Hurricane Ida, which killed 26 people in Louisiana and destroyed dozens of homes and businesses.
“This community was hit hard during Ida,” Champagne said of Killona. They didn’t need this again.
Alexander, the latest victim of the tornadoes, was described as a loving and caring woman who helped feed and house those in need.
His grieving daughter told WDSU that Alexander would be greatly missed by the community he often sacrificed for.
“She means the world to me, and if anyone knew her, knew my mother, they knew she would give anyone the clothes off her back,” her daughter said. She would help whoever needed it.
“My message to my mom would be: ‘I love you,’” she added as she broke down in tears.
Jefferson parish officials are seen speaking to local reporters amid the devastation in their towns.
Pictured: A Gretna home wrecked by powerful storms on Wednesday
State employees have been deployed en masse to assess the damage and gas and power lines
Pictured: An overturned and wrecked car in Killona, where the third death from the storms was reported
Authorities urged residents to request help after their homes were completely destroyed by the storm.
Pictured: A person walking through the rubble of a totaled home in Killona, just 30 miles west of New Orleans.
Officers were seen combing the area along Schoolhouse Road where Allison Alexander’s home was destroyed.
Along with the three deaths, more than two dozen people were injured in Louisiana.
The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office confirmed that the body of 8-year-old Nikolus Little was found around 11pm on Tuesday in a wooded area. His mother, Yoshiko A. Smith, 30, was found dead under storm debris around 2:30 am Wednesday.
Sheriff Steve Prator said his home was destroyed and the boy ended up half a mile away, while his mother’s body was discovered a street down the street from where her mobile home was. When deputies arrived at his address, they found nothing more than a concrete slab, the sheriff’s sergeant said. Casey Jones.
Along with his death, the sheriff’s office reported that two others in the community were injured in the storm.
In the town of Farmerville, located near the Louisiana-Arkansas border, police reported that at least 20 people were injured.
Along with the loss of life and injuries, the powerful storms tore apart homes and businesses across the state, knocking out power lines and leaving more than 45,000 customers without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Wednesday to ensure a swift and steady recovery for those who lost everything in the storms.
He and other state officials urged residents to report the damage to Louisiana’s Preliminary Disaster Damage Self-Reporting website, as well as to their respective insurance agencies.
Residents are seen making their way through the rubble of destroyed homes in Killona, Louisiana.
Pictured: Roy Fitch assessing the damage to his home in Gretna on Wednesday night
Utility crews are working across the state to restore power to the more than 45,000 customers who are in the dark.
Pictured: Rows of houses destroyed by tornadoes that have hit Louisiana over the past two days
Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin are all experiencing heavy snow as the NWS warned of blizzard-like conditions due to high winds from the storm system.
As the storm system moves east, it is expected to bring freezing rain and blizzard-like conditions to the Northeast, and the National Weather Service is forecasting a wintry mix in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
Up to a half inch of ice is forecast to fall in the area, then turn to snow Thursday afternoon and into Friday. CBS informed. Snow is expected to hit New York on Friday, with the upstate region seeing up to a foot.
The heaviest snowfall is likely to hit northern New England on Friday, with rain expected on the East Coast.