Another weekend, another damaging storm hits Louisiana

By Message Staff

A round of severe weather swept through the state late Saturday and into Sunday dumping more than 10 inches rain in some areas, producing high winds and at least one confirmed EF-1 tornado.

At least one Louisiana Baptist church – Faith Baptist Church in Livonia – had the majority of its roof ripped off and a significant amount of water damage inside.

CLECO, AEP-SWEPCO and Entergy – three utility companies that serve many areas impacted by the storms – reported significant outages. At the height of the storm, more than 42,000 Entergy, 12,000 Cleco and 13,500 AEP-SWEPCO customers were without power.

Among the churches damaged was Faith Baptist Church in Livonia, which lost a portion of its roof. Tommy Middleton, director of missions for the Greater Baton Rouge Area Baptist Association, said the congregation of Faith Baptist was trying to remain positive.

“Pray as they try to figure out what to do going forward,” he said.

Pastor Freddie Rodrigue, who rushed to the church as soon as the storm had passed, found half of the church’s roof missing, pieces of tin wrapped around a tree and a broken brick column lying on the roof line on the fellowship hall.

“Water was coming into the building, the doors flew open,” Rodrigue told WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge,. “Every building that we have here has been affected in some way.”

The station reported that despite the damage, the congregation chose to have a service.

“Of course we were in the dark but we sang and the preacher gave a devotional. We had a prayer after and everyone joined hands, we just thank God that everything came out as well as it did,” church member Sharon Allen was quoted as saying.

The National Weather Service reported Bunkie received 10 inches of rain, Bayou Nezpique in Acadia Parish 9.3 inches and Alexandria 3.7 inches.

According to KALB-TV meteorologists Tom Konvicka, Hessmer in Avoyelles Parish recorded 9.79 inches of rain near Highway 1188 and J.J. Lane southwest of town. In town, a gauge measured 7.70 inches and Marksville had 7.38 inches. In the Hamburg-Moreauville area, 8.15 inches fell. In Bunkie, more than 10.9 inches fell in 3-4 hours making it a 200-year event.

The high water cancelled services at LifePoint Community Church in Mansura. While the church was high enough it did not get any water inside its worship center or thrift store, it was completely surrounded by flood water making it unreachable.

Likewise, First Baptist Church in Baker and First Baptist Church in Mamou also cancelled services due to the high water.

“The door flew off the front of the sanctuary and there are multiple trees down around the area,” First Baptist Baker Pastor Jay Avance posted on his Facebook page Sunday morning. “Stay in and stay safe!”

First Baptist Church in Eunice had water inside its building. Alan Knuckles, director of missions for Acadia, Louisiana and Mt. Olive Associations, reported a cleaning company was already there cleaning and drying the carpet.

KLFY-TV reported that parts of a hospital in Mamou were flooded, along with an elementary and high school in the town. Between 60 and 70 homes there also took on water.

Knuckles told the Baptist Message that a disaster relief team should be activated soon in the area.

Three chainsaw and mudout teams removed a tree and debris from a home in Natchitoches on Saturday and Sunday caused by winds as high as 110 mph from an EF-1 tornado that touched down three miles west of the city.

Ron Thompson, director of missions for District 8 Convention, said that members from the Natchitoches and Sabine Associations and Northwestern State University BCM all helped with the cleanup effort.

The tornado that touched down along the main finger of Sibley Lake along Wilderson Road knocked down large tree branches. As the tornado made its way along the lake’s edge, it continued to snap and uproot trees in the Oak Grove area. Other damage included a dock and to a roof, siding and windows of homes.

KSLA-TV reported that winds of up to 85 to 95 mph snapped two trees on the north side of Provencal and two other trees alongside Highway 6 and blew off a few shingles in Hagewood. In Clarence, some trees snapped and fell across Highway 84.

The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office reported a large tree fell on a mobile home on Pine Street in Robeline.

Robeline Police responded and found a couple and their three-month-old infant at the residence. The husband and wife along with their child were able to exit the mobile home through a rear door. The infant and parents were transported to a Natchitoches Parish Trauma Unit waiting for them on Hwy 6 so the child could be evaluated for injuries.