ST. MARTIN PARISH — Chairs, parts of the roof, and parts of the banister hanging on to what was once the outdoor porch of Pat’s Fisherman’s Wharf Restaurant.
“As you can see the porch, this used to be a porch there’s no more porch this is gone,” said owner Harvey Huval.
“Sure enough around 6:30 all hell broke loose.”
Huval said severe damage to his restaurant and hotel happened all in a matter of 30 seconds.
“And I could hear the wind,” Huval said.
"The wind was really whipping hard. You know really loud. It was like a whistling sound almost like a train sound.”
The Atchaflya Club, attached to the restaurant was preparing for a Teurlings Catholic High School graduation party.
“My club had a few projectiles that went through the roof, about four or five holes in my club’s roof thats all gotta be fixed,” Huval said.
“My lighthouse is gone, it's down. My boiling plant that I use, my steamer is gone. It’s a disaster.”
Many attending the graduation had plans to stay at the hotel that night. No one was present in the hotel when the storm hit.
“The whole hotel roof is gone, it’s all damaged,” Huval said.
“The sheetrock, the installation that’s all gotta be ripped up. That’s a lot a lot of work you’re talking about, a lot of money right there.”
Tree branches and debris covered the front of both the restaurant and hotel, built by Huval’s father, the first mayor of Henderson Pat Huval.
Huval said employee vehicles and a customer’s car were ruined by the tornado.
National Weather Service confirmed it was an EF-2 tornado that impacted the Cecilia and Henderson areas, with winds as high as 120 miles per hour.
Monica Meche spends her weekends at the restaurant and is a long-time customer. On Tuesday she was helping move paintings out of the hotel rooms to prevent damage.
“I just felt I needed to come here because, again, these people they’re like family to me,” Meche said.
“And I think in a community if everyone comes together, we can help build better, you know? Make Pat’s great again, that’s what new wanna do.”
Theresa Charles Singleton has worked at the restaurant's crawfish plant for 40 years and was very emotional seeing the aftermath of the tornado.
"It was a lot,” Singleton said.
“It was hurtful, I’m just besides myself because I couldn't believe this was how bad it was. I saw it but I didn't think this was that bad. I'm gonna try helping them as much as I can if they need help if they need anything we are here for them."
Huval is grateful to be beside his family and for the community coming together to help. He said he’s taking it day by day.
“Oh it’s heartbreaking,” Huval said. “But we’re tough. We some tough Cajuns we’re gonna persevere.”
Huval would like to have his restaurant and dance hall open by next month.
