UPDATE: Scientists with the National Weather Service have confirmed that it was a tornado that touched down in St. Martin Parish last night, leaving one person dead.
The crews that do surveys of damage to determine what type of storms hit and the details are still working out in the field, but as of 11:30 a.m. they were able to confirm for KATC that a tornado did touch down in St. Martin Parish.
We'll update this story as soon as their full report is ready - which should be later today.
During a press conference today, Gov. Jeff Landry said it was a "dangerous and deadly" storm system that hit south Louisiana last night.
Sixteen parishes have been impacted, with 160,000 customers without power at the peak. As of mid-day Tuesday, that was down to 53,000, officials said.
Landry said state officials are working with parish-level emergency officials to get them help, and asked cities to get any information about damage to their parish offices.
The only question asked during the presser was not related to the storm, so Landry wouldn't answer it, saying he'd get that to his press secretary to be answered later. You can watch the whole thing here.
Meanwhile, state GOHSEP officials said earlier Tuesday morning that power outages from the storm peaked around 100,000 customers, but report that numbers have dropped as utility crews can begin restoration efforts.
The storms caused tree and power line damage, flash flooding, and other problems across the impacted areas. Please do not sightsee in these regions because additional traffic may delay utility crews, first responders, and other emergency efforts.
“GOHSEP’s regional coordinators and operations team were working with our local partners as the storms intensified. That work now continues with the ongoing recovery efforts,” said GOHSEP Director Jacques Thibodeaux. “Our thoughts this morning are with the families of the two victims who died as a result of the storms. We will use the damage reports from our local partners to determine a recovery path going forward. We urge the public to follow the messaging from local officials and please use caution if operating generators or other power equipment during cleanup from the storms.”
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