EVANGELINE PARISH (BASILE) — UPDATE: An account has been set up to help the owners of this business and their employees make ends meet.
Here's the social media post with the details:
A long-time local business was destroyed Tuesday morning when a tornado tore through the building, trapping several employees inside. By 10:00 a.m., Rhea’s Specialty Meats in Basile was reduced to rubble.
Miss Reba, who has worked at the meat market since it opened, described the frightening moment when the tornado struck.
“We were doing our jobs, and it made a loud noise, then something started falling on the roof. We took off running, but it sucked us in, and we couldn’t get out,” she said.
Reba and several others were inside the store when the tornado hit. She said the group was forced to the ground as debris from the collapsing building—including cement, wood, glass, and meat—piled on top of them.
“When it finally stopped, we were all on the floor, lying down with stuff on our backs,” she recalled.
According to Reba, there were five people in the meat room, two in the kitchen, and one woman working the register at the time of the tornado. Two people were taken to a hospital in Jennings, and one to a hospital in Lafayette.
The extent of their injuries was not disclosed.
Jude Burton, owner of Rhea’s Specialty Meats, was not in the building when the tornado struck but expressed concern for the safety of his workers. He said his main priority was ensuring that everyone was accounted for and receiving proper care.
"The building—it is what it is," Burton said. “We will rebuild and reopen in the future.”
The business, which was preparing to celebrate its 11th anniversary in February. Despite the devastation, Burton remains committed to restoring Rhea’s Specialty Meats.
