HOUSTON – The trail of destruction in Louisiana is long. The National Weather Service said the EF-3 tornado went 11 miles through three parishes with most of the damage in Arabi, a community east of New Orleans.
Many in the area are left homeless and that’s a feeling many who were forced to Houston know all too well.
“[It’s] very heartbreaking,” said Jamie Alford. “Very disappointing and also triggering.”
Alford and her family called Louisiana home until 2016 when catastrophic floods destroyed her house just days after giving birth to her daughter, Hannah.
“To be displaced, to be scared, homeless, without the necessities of what you would typically have is definitely devastating,” she said.
The NWS said the tornado had strengths between 158 to 206 miles per hour.
“It was something like I’ve never seen before,” said Louisiana resident and United Cajun Navy volunteer Arthur Boisfontaine.
Boisfontaine started volunteering with the group last year after Hurricane Ida.
“I’m helping as someone who was affected by Katrina and then I help Terrebonne Parish and Terrebonne Parish is helping us in St. Bernard Parish,” he said.
Typically, with the United Cajun Navy, he’s helping someone he doesn’t know, until the tornado.
Boisfontaine says his niece’s family huddled inside their Arabi home when the tornado moved through. Once it passed, they were forced to leave because of a gas leak and sparkling power lines above.
Their dog was displaced, leaving him behind, until the United Cajun Navy stepped in.
“They brought their thermal cameras and whatnot and rescued the dog,” Boisfontaine said.
He tells KPRC 2′s Rilwan Balogun, they’re safe. They have some bumps and bruises but now they’re waiting for their next steps.
“They’re upset. You see a lot of tears,” he said.
Alford said one piece of advice she would offer to Boisfontaine’s niece and others in Southeast Louisiana, take a break.
“You need time to process what happened, mentally. You need time to process your emotions,” Alford said. “Take one day at a time. Continue to be resilient.”