Published: August 4,2016
Severe
thunderstorms ripped through the New Orleans area Thursday, dropping a
tornado and causing several buildings to collapse.
National Weather Service storm survey crews found EF0 tornado damage in the metro area.
"Summertime thunderstorms often like
to send out gusts of cooler air, which can collide with other gusts,"
said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles. "Every once in a while,
these gusts can collide in just the wrong way, and a funnel cloud or
tornado are possible. These tornadoes are generally fairly short-lived
and weak."
A funnel cloud appears over the New Orleans metro area on August 4,2016. (Twitter/Shaun Hand)
A man was rescued by firefighters after a building collapsed at North Claiborne and Ursuline avenues, NOLA.com reports. The man was transported to the hospital.
Two men were taken to a hospital for minor injuries
after a home at North Claiborne Avenue and St. Philip Street collapsed,
WDSU reports. A home on Kerlerec Street also collapsed.
Jim Ferrall told WDAM that he was across the street watching when the home was damaged.
"When
I looked up, I could see spinning debris and shingles," said Ferrall.
"The second I yelled 'tornado,' it tore that building up. It collapsed
it like a piece of tin foil."
At least one other
building had collapsed Thursday afternoon and two houses near the old
McDonogh No. 35 High School building in the Seventh Ward were damaged,
NOLA.com also reports. While the school was unscathed, it lost power.
Officials with the New Orleans Fire Department told WGNO.com that there are several collapsed structures in that area, but there’s no word on injuries.
New
Orleans Department of Homeland Security spokesman Aaron Miller told
reporters at the scene of one collapse that at least two of the fallen
buildings were abandoned and slated for demolition.
The damage appeared to be largely in the city's 7th Ward and Tremé areas, both of which have areas of abandoned homes.
The storm launched a trampoline into power lines
on the 1200 block of North Villere Street in the Tremé area, also
according to NOLA.com. There were also multiple reports of fires started
by lightning strikes and downed power lines, as well as downed trees.
A trampoline gets tangled in the power lines during severe weather. @theadvocateno
Downed trees reportedly blocked Esplanade Avenue near Marais and parts of St. Bernard Avenue were closed off due to downed power lines, 4WWL reports.
Entergy New Orleans reported several neighborhoods were without power as a result of the storms. At one point, more than 26,000 customers were without power.
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