Waves of extreme weather moved eastward across the South on Wednesday, bringing flash flooding and tornadoes along the Gulf Coast, and the potential for destructive winds remains, forecasters and local officials said.
In Mississippi, severe weather followed an overnight storm that killed one person and injured another.
A flash flood emergency was declared in the New Orleans area, where the National Weather Service said many roads in and around the city were under water and impassable. In Slidell, La., a city northeast of New Orleans, four potential tornadoes ripped through buildings and streets, officials said. A tornado was reported in southeast Texas and severe weather damaged homes in several Mississippi counties.
More than a dozen flash flood warnings were issued early in the morning, including one for New Orleans. Authorities closed some roads in southeast Louisiana and some roads in southern Mississippi were reported under water. Dallas remained under a flash flood warning Wednesday afternoon.
There was considerable risk of cyclones in the region. Forecasters warned that more than seven million people across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida could experience severe weather throughout the day.
Storm Prediction Center A tornado watch has been issued “A cluster of storms is expected to move into the region by mid/afternoon,” he said, for southeast Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia by Wednesday afternoon and 8 p.m. local time.
Daniel Seuzeneau, chief executive officer of the Slidell Police Department, said the city had four tornadoes and the impact was spread out about 5 miles away.
The damage was “extensive,” he said. Buildings, including an apartment building, partially collapsed. Trees fell on houses, people were trapped and cars overturned, he said. The department reported no major injuries or deaths.
“We rescued about 50 people from an apartment complex,” he said. “Usually if it wasn't a hurricane, we wouldn't see this extensive and extensive damage.”
Mike Cooper, St. Tammany Parish president, said several people were injured and the damage in Slidell was “catastrophic.”
“Dozens of our neighbors and loved ones in Slidell had their lives ripped apart in seconds,” he said. He posted that on the social network.
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday that 23 homes were damaged and at least one destroyed in Hinds, Neshoba, Warren and Yazoo counties. Downed trees blocked roads in Hinds and Yazoo counties.
In Yazoo County, after heavy rains, a family of four was evacuated from a home in the Eastbrook subdivision, which was just below the shore of a 10-acre man-made lake, said Jack Willingham, the county's emergency management director. Director.
With more than a dozen tornado warnings and watches in place in cities from Texas to Mississippi, the weather began to deteriorate by dawn. Early Wednesday morning, a tornado touched down in Katy, a city west of Houston, Jeffrey Evans, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Houston and Galveston, told reporters.
(A tornado warning is an emergency warning issued after a weather forecaster detects a potential tornado on radar or a trained spotter sees a tornado. A watch indicates that weather conditions are favorable for an area to develop.)
Flooding began to inundate parts of East Texas early Wednesday morning. The The sheriff's office in Jasper County, Texas said Deputies, local fire departments and emergency officials were involved in rescue efforts around Kirbyville, a town of more than 2,000 residents.
Kirbyville Mayor Frank George said water rose several feet in some places. Across the street from where he sat in his truck was the flooded Central Baptist Church. Water poured onto the roof of a parked Lincoln Continental.
Mr. George, since before daylight, volunteers and a swift-water crew had been circling in boats, pulling stranded people out of their homes.
He said many more need to be rescued and another shelter is expected to be opened. “We get calls when the water rises and we expect the water to rise,” said Mr. George said in an interview.
A cluster of storms was expected Move eastward In the evening, more tornadoes will develop and bring widespread, damaging winds across southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and southern Georgia.
Parts of Mississippi are reeling from overnight storms.
The The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said One was killed and another injured. At least one tornado was reported in Raymond, Miss., west of the state capital, Jackson. Local news reports. Many trees and power poles are said to have fallen in neighboring districts.
Power outages across Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama affected more than 200,000 customers as of Wednesday afternoon.
Derrick Bryson Taylor And Aimee Ortiz Contributed report.
